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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28403448">The Phasewalker</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultiverseFantasy/pseuds/MultiverseFantasy'>MultiverseFantasy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Phasewalker Saga [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Afterlife, Alternate Universe, Angels, Apocalypse, Character Death, Coming of Age, Death, Demons, Fantasy, Fights, Gen, Gods, Magic, Monsters, Mortality, Multiverse, Original Character Death(s), Superheroes, Supernatural Elements, Superpowers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:28:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>115,750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28403448</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultiverseFantasy/pseuds/MultiverseFantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"My name is Jackson White, and this is how I died."</p>
<p>But death is not the end, but a new beginning as Jackson discovers he’s been chosen by a celestial god to be its new Champion, the Grim Reaper.<br/>However, neither Jack nor the Angel of Death is convinced, nor the current grim reaper he’s meant to replace. But they’ll have to work it out fast if they want to prevent the end of the world in three days.</p>
<p>Welcome to a new supernatural superhero saga like you’ve never seen before.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Phasewalker Saga [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>https://www.patreon.com/PWPresents</p>
<p>This has been a serious project of mine for over three years. I hope to publish this professionally one day, but for now I’ll be happy to share it here because I just want people to read it and enjoy it.</p>
<p>So if you are reading this, I hope you do enjoy it because there’s so much more I want to do with this saga.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Journal of Marcus Travis Blake, 12th May 2019</p><p>The sky rumbled over my head like an endless crescendo of drums and cymbals, the rain pouring over the concrete streets rattling into the distance. The darkness overlay the decrepit neighbourhood while the brightly lit commercial buildings rose over the horizon. This road I walked down was far in the outskirts of the city, a forgotten part of the world that used to be just as successful as the rest of the city until business ran out in favour of the chain companies now occupying the city centre drawing the tourists.</p><p>I've walked streets like these for decades, watching small companies and family homes die out only to leave ghostly empty shells of a life left behind. After all this time it just blends into the fabric of this universe, one long grey landscape irrelevant to the real horrors lurking behind the veil.</p><p>These mortals have no idea how dangerous their world really is.</p><p>The rain beat down on my shoulders as I strode down the dark unlit street, the empty buildings slumped around me in eternal despair. I could feel hundreds of unseen eyes on me as I walked past, scanning the hollow windows seeking those nobody else can glimpse. Just because nothing is there doesn't mean nobody is watching. I paid them no heed as I combed my thinning grey hair back, water dripping from my beard onto the thick leather trench coat wrapped around me. I always liked that trench coat. It saw me though my entire career as a detective and beyond after I "retired".</p><p>I found the place I was looking for easy enough. It was the only thing on this street that still resembled its former life as a local pub. The boards nailed across the windows were still fresh neglecting the rot eating away at the other buildings. The old sign hung over the door naming the establishment "<em>The White Stallion</em>". Rather ironic and on the nose considering the reputation this building had back in the 50s when it was ran by the resident racist of the neighbourhood.</p><p>In 1949 The White Stallion was bought by a man named Albert Tate, a white supremacist with strong ties to a global hate group known as the Ku Klux Klan. He established the place as haven for the local populace with one unspoken rule…no darks. The condition wasn't made publicly, it's not like he put a sign up stating "<em>whites only</em>", because the shift in public opinion was beginning to turn in favour of diversity and acceptance. But of course not everyone fell on board and Tate was no exception. But this meant in order to stay in business he had to give the illusion that his establishment welcomed all.</p><p>That illusion broke the first time a man of colour stepped foot inside his pub with his lady friend. He was just a kid, no older than twenty years old, his girlfriend a year or two younger. But when Tate saw them enter all he saw was the enemy. He wanted to step out from around his bar and throw them out right there and then. But as I said, Public opinion was against him and none of his patrons kicked up a fuss. So instead he bit his tongue as they approached the bar. Instead of refusing to serve them he offered them a seat in the back. Not an eyebrow was raised as he'd been refurbishing the place all week to install a pool table and more seating space. So the kid followed willingly as Tate brought them around back to showcase the room.</p><p>They never came back out.</p><p>It would be three months until their bodies were discovered by police under the building when a search warrant revealed he was responsible for over 13 missing persons cases, all people of colour who'd disappeared since <em>The White Stallion </em>was bought by Tate. He became a person of interest when a brave young man came forward following an appeal for information on the whereabouts of a young 14 year old girl. He recounted the events of that evening, explaining how Tate returned back around the bar claiming the two kids just left and returned to serving drinks. Apparently nobody said anything because they all witnessed the sight of him cleaning his hands with a damp cloth, all noticing the blood on his knuckles. With a look he quelled them to silence and the night was never spoken off again. Not until the young man cautiously walked into the police station and exposed Tate. They raided the pub and discovered the bodies. All 24 of them. Both missing persons and unreported murders. All people of colour of various ages and sexes.</p><p>The youngest body was eight years old.</p><p>Tate was arrested that night. Twelve weeks later he was sentenced to life in prison. His last statement in court was that "trash like that shouldn't be allowed to live!" He was killed two weeks into his sentence. Most people would've turned a blind eye to the murder of a few dozen black folks, but even rapists and serial killers have a low opinion of child killers. <em>The White Stallion</em> was closed down a few weeks earlier. Nobody wanted any part of the place since.</p><p>Even as I stood outside its doors in the pouring rain I heard the screams of the dead trapped inside. When people dismiss the notion of places like this being haunted they fail to realise true evil leaves a scar that never heals. Ghosts are the least of your problems should the right entities cross that threshold. One such entity had taken up residence in this very building a few decades ago. One who dealt in souls.</p><p>The last time I came here I was hunting a fugitive. A dangerous being responsible for murdering at least three innocent people upon his escape to this realm. I followed a lead to an old acquaintance right here, the doors bolted and windows barred locking down the whole place tight. Fortunately I never needed doors as I entered the premises and found the doorman within behind the decrepit bar. He was shocked to see me, rushing around the bar to object to my intrusion. When I asked about his boss he claimed the place was empty. He quickly changed his mind about lying when he was held three feet in the air with my hand around his throat.</p><p>I threw him down the stairs into the basement to announce my arrival, following purposely down after him to find the ragtag band of figures hiding in the shadows. A single lightbulb illuminated the dust covered floor in the centre of the room, a cone of light that I stepped inside to scan the silhouetted creatures scowling in my direction.</p><p>"You should have told me you were coming" a gravelly voice boomed from the darkness drawing my gaze to the back of the basement. "I would've told my man upstairs to simply let you in, save the damage to his spine."</p><p>The owner of the voice sat on a self-imposed throne of barrels and boxes surrounded by pizza boxes. It was clear the soul merchant didn't like to leave the building too often. Even through the darkness I could see the pale skin and thin malnourished frame. His sharp business suit hung over his shoulders open across the front revealing a large pot belly, his bare feet tapping casually on the concrete floor turning black with soot and dust. Around him various other creatures and figures of different shapes and sizes surrounded me, creatures that didn't matter to me. I wasn't there for them.</p><p>"I thought we had a deal Nazim" I addressed the demon, my eyes glancing down to his pot belly where all the trapped and warped souls he traded like currency resided. Even after all this time in service to the Well of Souls it still disgusts me how blatantly demons exchange the souls of the unfortunate fools who sold themselves for personal gain. Nazim was a trader, a broker, the middleman between the various powerful deities who would fight for the highest bid. "We agreed you could set up shop in this universe provided you offer me a steady stream of information on your employers and clients" I reminded him.</p><p>He gave me a flabbergasted look using his ink black hollow eyes, the empty sockets contrasting the pale white skin. "And haven't I fulfilled my end of the bargain? Scores of furious demon lords and kings have been hounding me from the fire pits. They suspect I have something to do with your previous efforts to dismantle their operations. I've had to hide out in this dirty small basement just to keep off their radar. Now what do you want <em>Reaper?</em>"</p><p>Nazim was always more cocky than clever, missing the serious nature of our conversation that would one day get him killed. "I need information" I told him.</p><p>"Don't you always?" he sighed waving his hand. "Which one of my angry customers do you want to piss off now?"</p><p>"Not them" I clarified. That got his attention. Previously I'd only seek him out to discuss the dwellings of Hell. This time was different. "I'm on the hunt for a fugitive. A dangerous being escaped from the entry level of hell and fled across Limbo, killing a few of our wraiths in the process. My comrade isn't pleased about losing some of his best men and I'm determined to bring him back to face justice."</p><p>"Why come to me?" he replied acting innocent. But even then I could smell the deception. "I trade in living souls. Offer deals to foolhardy mortals in exchange for wealth, fame, a cure for disease, etc., etc... It's amazing how many young people will willingly sell their own soul for personal gain after all these centuries. What business do I have with the dead?"</p><p>"You mean apart from your side-business?" I saw the hair on the back of his neck stand up when I told him "you didn't think I wouldn't find out about you moonlighting as a black market smuggler did you? Shuffling souls and demons across the realms bringing them back to the land of the living? I'm the gatekeeper of the afterlife. Watching the borders is my job and you are sloppy at yours."</p><p>Seeing the look of shock and horror and fear contort over his face was one of the few joys I have left in this life. I've known about his moonlighting for a while, leaving it alone for a time because until now he only allowed minor ghosts and demons to cross over. All of which offered little danger to the living world as I swiftly cut them down moments after they arrived. The most shocking part was how easy Nazim made my job by doing this. That changed when this soul got loose. This one was dangerous and letting it get unleashed in the mortal world would prove disastrous.</p><p>As predicted, this cocky trader failed to see that. "I don't know anything about this fugitive" he lied.</p><p>I was losing patience by now and reminded him about how dangerous it would be to cross the champion of a celestial entity, even directing him to the many clients he'd betrayed to appease our deal and what happened because of it. "If you want your betrayal to remain between us you will turn the fugitive over to me. I will not ask again."</p><p>Nazim took a moment to consider his options. The audience around us shuffled awkwardly as they watched in fear. I scanned the crowd waiting for a response. I was ready to hear more lies as the trader attempted to talk his way out. But to my surprise he glanced over his shoulder.</p><p>"NO!" the fugitive cried dashing out of the shadows from behind him. He was shoved to the ground as the hulking creature barrelled in my direction screaming "YOU WILL NOT SEND ME BACK!" I had to appreciate the being's determination, allowing a slight smile before reaching into my trench coat.</p><p>The fugitive was once a mortal man, but after judgement was sent to one of the fire realms to be turned into a hulking fat monster with a massive mouth filling his face, the rest of his identity lost in the thick flesh nearly rendering him blind. Large stump legs thudded over the concrete struggling to hold up his overweight body, tiny arms flailing around his sides. The man's sin was laziness. The punishment inflicted upon him matched the final judgement for his life choices. He wasn't pleased with his new eternal death and ran. Now he was cornered.</p><p>It didn't take long. My arm swung out as the monster stumbled past me, the scythe in my hand cutting though his flesh like butter slicing him in half. The fugitive collapsed gurgling onto the floor colliding with the stairs, the flesh melting as it screamed in agony cast back to where it belonged.</p><p>The crowd stared at the melted pool of remains as I stood silently, looking back at the soul trader with a dark gaze that made his blood run cold. "You should be careful who you choose to let out Nazim" I warned him retuning my faithful weapon to within the coat, brushing off the sludge from my sleeve.</p><p>"If you want me to stop smuggling, fine" he replied fearfully, reminded of how dangerous <em>I</em> was. "I don't need the hassle or the attention."</p><p>"No" I told him, deciding he'd be better continuing his work. "I want you to advertise for more clients. Make it your main business. But instead of sending any of them across the barriers you will inform me. You're going to help earn your keep by locking down the easiest way out of hell."</p><p>"You're crazy" he said defiantly. "I can't be a trap for these beings. Word will spread and I'll be hunted down. If my clients find out I've been working for you I'm dead."</p><p>"Then don't get caught" I told him, already making my exit towards the stairs. Before I left I glanced over my shoulder giving him a familiar glare reminding him who I was. And more importantly that he doesn't get a choice in the matter. That was the last time I ventured into the pub and the last time I saw Nazim. I briefly wondered why he never got in touch. But I chose to assume he found a better offer when a group of powerful hell-riders ambushed me. They didn't last long either.</p><p>Fond memories.</p><p>Standing inside the threshold of the pub, I got a sense of de-ja vu. Like before I didn't use the door. I didn't need to. I simply stepped inside to the dark interior greeting the empty space with a calm indifferent demeanour. All these years later and nothing had changed. The little details hidden within the pitch black shadows that I could see clearly. The dust covered floor. The cracks in the walls. The dirty old bar and empty bottles. The rotting tables and chairs and scattered rat droppings. There was a faint breeze leaking through the cracks wafting my coat around my legs. I could feel the echoes of the past inhabitants, hear their voices in the air and the rafters.</p><p>I couldn't help but smile as I lit myself a cigarette. The orange flame of the lighter ignited the room in an intense glow before vanishing to be followed by a puff of smoke from my chapped lips. There was something comforting standing amidst the ghosts in silence. It felt…peaceful.</p><p>Which was probably why I didn't hear the footsteps until they were right behind me.</p><p>I was too slow to react, my weapon flying out from under my coat to my hand just a fraction of a second too late, leaving me open for the intense stabbing pain ripping through my back. I screamed in agony as something sharp punctured my body, red blood spraying out over the floor as my spine arched into the blade extruding from my chest. I felt blood fill my throat as I looked down at the bloody blade sticking out, the glistening metal reflecting my shocked face back at me before it retracted back leaving me to fall forwards collapsing onto the floor.</p><p>Chairs toppled and broke apart as I reached out and tried to catch my fall, my hands slipping on the blood sending me face first to the ground. The scythe flew from my grasp sliding out of reach, unresponsive to my call as I held out my hand for it. All I felt was pain. Pain unlike anything I'd experienced before. The sight of my own blood scared me more however. I had never been wounded enough to bleed for a long time. It felt like my insides were on fire.</p><p>It felt like I was dying.</p><p>Out of the dark I heard a sickly piercing voice speak to me, gravely telling me "it's nothing personal detective. But mother demands your sacrifice." Even now I have no idea who or what that voice was talking about or who it belonged to or what manner of weapon he used upon me. As I attempted to turn my head and see the being who attacked me all I was met with was darkness.</p><p>As I lay bleeding on the floor of the pub, for the first time in so many years I felt a terrifying wave of fear. I was afraid to die a second time. I was afraid to leave my work unfinished. I was afraid to leave my young ward behind. I was afraid I'd spent so much time focused on the job I didn't take the time to prepare for the future. For my retirement. In a moment of weakness I hadn't allowed myself to suffer for centuries I called through the Well, shouting for help while coughing up my own blood. In the final moments before I passed out I witnessed the many colours of the bridge opening around me, bringing me home.</p><p>I came to the realisation I was going to die.</p><p>I am dying and there is nobody to take my place.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>1</p>
<p>The ground was cold as Jackson White's eyes flutter open. The dusty air stung his eyes making him blink painfully, instinctively reaching up to his face to find his glasses were missing. The pain gave way for a dull throb in his skull as he groaned awake.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ow, what hit me?</em>
</p>
<p>With his ears ringing Jack pushed himself up, wincing in pain when white hot electricity shot through his chest. He pressed his hand upon his torso only to feel a sticky substance coating his fingers. Once the stars dancing across his vision vanished he looked down to find his hand covered in in oily dark red blood.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the hell?</em>
</p>
<p>He checked himself over, finding everything roughly as it was meant to be. He was dressed in faded blue jeans, black trainers, a grey shirt and a dark colored jacket. He briefly looked around for his fedora but couldn't find it anywhere, neither could he find his glasses resulting in his vision being slightly out of focus. He turned his attention back to the blood on his hand, finding the source from the three inch long open wound across his chest directly over his heart. Pressing his palm to the opening he found it was still bleeding but the pain was reduced to a dull ache.</p>
<p>
  <em>What happened? Was I stabbed? I should be dead.</em>
</p>
<p>Jack heard a faint rustling from further down the alleyway, drawing his attention back to his surroundings. He was in the same alley he had been when he… <em>Did I pass out? I wasn't that dehydrated was I?</em> He racked his brain trying to recall what happened as he scanned the dull colorless walls and floor, the dusty air covering everything in a grainy sheen. It was like all color was muted, the sky outside the opening behind him a faint pale color offering the only source of light.</p>
<p>The rustling came again, drawing his weary gaze to the pitch black darkness in front of him leading deeper into the alley. Though he couldn't see that far any longer Jack could sense someone was watching him, peering out of the blackness. "Hello?" he called out, his voice croaking like he hadn't used it in days. "Is anyone there?"</p>
<p>Silence filled the void but the presence remained. Jack pushed himself up to his feet, the blood still dripping from his chest. <em>I definitely should be dead</em>, he repeated, astonished he could stand while losing so much blood. He felt fine as he stood up straight, rolling his shoulders and stretching his aching limbs. <em>What did happen to me?</em> The last thing Jack recalled was walking down the street towards the bus station after leaving…</p>
<p>
  <em>Kassie!</em>
</p>
<p>Panic overcame Jack's impulses as he reached for his phone, only to find it missing along with the rest of his belongings. <em>I've been mugged! They must've knocked me out. Kassie, she…</em> Then he remembered leaving her at home. He was alone but she was safe. <em>So what did happen to me?</em></p>
<p>His thoughts were interrupted by a faint sound coming from the darkness, like a whisper on the wind except there was no wind. Jack looked back into the void, peering closer trying to focus his vision. After a minute he saw something in the darkness, an outline of something drifting towards him. "Hello?" he called out cautiously stepping closer.</p>
<p>The outline stared back at him silently, its gaze piercing into Jackson sending a shiver down his spine. <em>Something isn't right</em>.</p>
<p>All of a sudden the shape lunged forward, shooting through the air flying in his direction. The moment it broke away from the black void Jack recoiled in shock seeing the ghostly face staring back at him. A face without a body, or a head, shrouded in a billowing white cloud as empty hollow eyes burned into Jack's soul, the howling mouth wide as it cut through the air towards him.</p>
<p>"What the hell?" Jack cried, scrambling backwards trying to get away from the floating face in a blind panic. He ran away stumbling out of the alley into the desolate street, turning back in time to see the face overtaking him. With a scream Jack raised his arms trying to protect himself only for the ghostly face to pass through his body with a sharp chill, flying away into the air leaving a baffled Jackson White alone in the street stumbling backwards only to find the road abruptly ending beneath his feet.</p>
<p>He froze in place as his heel found the edge of a great chasm, flailing his arms in circles trying to hold his balance before he toppled over the side. As he hovered precariously over the cliff he looked down to see the chasm had no bottom, the cliff giving way to an endless void of space as loose peddles fell for all eternity. Pulling himself back to solid land Jack spun around and stared down over the edge, following the cliff to see the chasm extended for over a mile, cutting buildings in half and vanishing into the foggy horizon. Looking up he saw where the rest of the streets had floated off to, blocks of landscapes and city blocks drifting aimlessly in the void. All on different axis as if gravity didn't have a place here.</p>
<p>"What the hell is this?" Jack gasped staring at the bizarre and frightening landscape stretching before him.</p>
<p>"Hell is the least of your worries at this time."</p>
<p>He spun around startled at the sound of the gravelly voice. For a moment he'd thought he was still all alone and had imagined it. But then the cloaked figure stepped out of the fog to reveal himself to the scared young man. "Who are you?" Jack asked him, frantically scanning the rest of the empty street wondering who else was hiding in the nooks and crannies.</p>
<p>"Who I was no longer matters" the figure replied flatly, his face hidden underneath the massive hood of the pale cloak draped over his shoulders falling to the ground around his feet. "I am to be your guide across this realm as you pass onto the next stage of your journey" he told him.</p>
<p>Jack wasn't really listening, his heart still pounding in his chest. <em>I still have a heart then</em>, he mused quickly checking the wound was still bleeding. "Where am I?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You know where you are, Mr. White."</p>
<p>He shook his head. "No I don't. This looks somewhat like Derby but last I checked the roads don't float. And what was that thing? That…face! It was screaming but I couldn't hear it. And why am I bleeding? What's happening to me?"</p>
<p>"It's not what is happening" the figure told him calmly. "It's what has already happened."</p>
<p>"Oh for crying out loud, stop speaking in code!" Jack shouted in frustration. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"</p>
<p>"I am your guide" he repeated.</p>
<p>"That's not an answer" Jack growled.</p>
<p>"You are distressed and that is understandable. But if you would simply calm down we can begin our journey where all your questions will be answered."</p>
<p>"You want me to calm down?" Jack fired back. "Then take off the hood!"</p>
<p>The figure hesitated as it stared silently back at the young man. "I do not believe that would be such a good idea. I would not wish to distress you any further."</p>
<p>"You want me to trust you?" Jack countered with determination. "Tell me who you are and start talking."</p>
<p>The two men stood their ground staring at the other, the tension building until finally the hooded figure relented. With a weary sigh his hands parted the cloak to reveal they wore chainmail gloves, the tattered remains of a knight's armor glinting beneath the fabric as he took hold of the hood and pulled it back over his head. Jack saw the face underneath and suddenly wished he hadn't asked. Beneath the hood the disfigured face of an older man stared back at him, skin peeling off his skull with one side melted and scarred. Tufts of grey hair hung from his scalp in patches revealing the glistening white bone beneath. The most horrifying part was the eyes, hollowed out dark circles with blazing blue orbs hovering inside the sockets like two flickering embers.</p>
<p>Jack immediately spun on his heel and vomited over the side of the road.</p>
<p>"What the hell are you" he muttered wiping his mouth, still retching the final remains of his stomach.</p>
<p>"Many in these lands call be a wraith" the figure said calmly, devoid of any emotion. "I'm a warrior tasked with guiding souls like you onwards on their journey and serving the Angel of Death."</p>
<p>
  <em>Angel of Death?</em>
</p>
<p>Jack didn't know what he was talking about but those three words seemed to strike a chord in the boy. "Where am I?" he asked again, hoping to get a straight answer this time.</p>
<p>Alas, the man didn't oblige. "You know where you are" he repeated.</p>
<p>"No, I don't!"</p>
<p>"Think, Mr. White" he insisted. "What is the last memory you have?"</p>
<p>Jack heaved with his hands on his knees, racking his brain trying to piece the fractured puzzle together. As he strained the clearest image was of a young woman, followed suddenly by a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down at the open wound, suddenly recalling he was stabbed. He looked around towards the alley he stumbled out of, retracing his steps mentally until it hit him. "I was attacked in that alley. I got stabbed. How… How did I survive?"</p>
<p>He looked up at the wraith where he found an expression of pity on the disfigured face. "You didn't" he told him.</p>
<p>Jack stared up at the man, narrowing his eyes in confusion. But then it was like a curtain had been pulled across his mind and he saw it all flash before him. He remembered everything. He remembered walking into the alley. He remembered the stabbing pain in his chest. He remembered falling to the floor. He remembered bleeding out on the ground. "No" he stammered, refusing to accept the truth realizing where he was. He knew what had happened but he could bring himself to say it. He fell to his knees with tears in his eyes, the urge to vomit returning to nothing left to throw up.</p>
<p>The wraith stood respectfully back, answering his question with as much sympathy as he could manage. "I'm sorry Mr. White, but you died."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>2</p><p>It didn't take much to lose himself inside his own thoughts, especially while he was drawing. The pencil ran along the paper effortlessly tracing lines as if from memory shading in the tones and highlights. He wasn't even looking at his work as it took shape and yet it became an almost flawless representation of the image in his head. An image he conjured to counter the overwhelming void that creeped around his psyche.</p><p>"Earth to Jackson! You still present?" Ajay's voice broke him out of his daydream. He woke up blinking turning to face the young man dressed in a green sweater and grey jeans sitting two seats away at the table. Next to him at the head was another man with a bushy but neat auburn beard and Afro hairstyle, his narrow eyes looking across at him with amusement. "You looked like you were miles away" he said cocking an eyebrow. "Where were you?"</p><p>"Nowhere" Jackson White dismissed, looking down at his sketchbook finally seeing the picture he'd drawn. A stunning, beautiful face of a young woman with long hair and a broad smile, her amazing eyes sparkling upon the page. It was like looking at the real thing, the resemblance so uncanny he hurried to close the sketchbook before either of the others could see it. He felt the heat rush to his face but he'd gotten quite adept at hiding his feelings these last few months.</p><p>Ajay and Daniel were both students from the illustration course at the University of Derby, currently chilling now that the last of the lectures were done for the day. Two years into a three year course, the final week before deadline when they would finish the semester and await the results before going back in September. Jackson was in the same boat except he was in a separate course, Animation. Despite the difference the two courses overlapped alongside a third, Graphic Design, when it came to lectures and guest speakers so all the students got to know one another frequently. It's how he got to be friends with these boys and the rest of the group they were currently waiting on.</p><p>"Anyway, as I was saying" Ajay continued, turning back to Daniel returning to his conversation. "With Kory's folks out of town for the weekend I thought I'd invite her over to mine. You know, so she doesn't feel so lonely in that big house."</p><p>"Uh huh" he nodded, raising a cursory eyebrow. "And do your own folks know about this romantic little ploy of yours?"</p><p>"I'm sure they won't mind" he said ignoring the subtle insinuations. He looked back at the quiet animator who was hurriedly hiding his sketchbook back in his bag. Unbeknownst to him Ajay had already seen the picture he was drawing. "So Jackson, you have any plans for the weekend?"</p><p>"Wrapping up my final brief" he answered immediately anticipating the question. Not many people realize how adept he'd gotten at multitasking, appearing distracted and busy in his own world but still able to listen to most of the conversations going on around him. A skill he'd built up over the years hoping one of those conversations that never included him might turn in his direction. <em>What's the point of being invisible if you can't make the most of it, </em>he'd tell himself.</p><p>"Work? That's it?" Ajay asked in response, doubt clear in his tone. "With just a few days to deadline? I swear you animators end up with more work than the rest of us."</p><p>"Well, we have to come up with something more than just a handful of still images" Jack argued trying to keep a cheerful overtone to his voice. The truth was he'd finished his project a week ago and was merely tidying up a few loose ends between being distracted by other things and fighting back the darkness following him around like a cloud.</p><p>"I wish that's all we did" Daniel chuckled, watching the exchange quietly from the sidelines.</p><p>"There has to be more" Ajay persisted. "Come on, how is life? There has to be more than university. You must have plans for the weekend. Don't tell me you'd rather be watching Netflix all alone."</p><p>Jack looked up from his bag to glance back in his direction. "Was that some kind of invitation?"</p><p>"He's asking if you have a girlfriend again" Daniel clarified slapping Ajay on the arm. "When are you going to lay of the boy's private life? You ask him the same question every week."</p><p>"And every week he dodges the question" he protested. "I can't help it. I see a good looking guy who spends most of his time with his own company, I have to ask what's wrong with this picture."</p><p>Jack rolled his eyes as Ajay continued to illustrate how important this crusade is to him. The reality was Jackson never had time to consider finding a girlfriend. He wanted to sort out the mess of his own life before he would think about sharing it with someone else. True that left him rather lonely most nights sitting in his room minding his own business, but he didn't believe he had what it takes to pull off the alternative.</p><p>What he couldn't admit to either of his friends was there was already someone on his mind. But the situation was complicated.</p><p>Fortunately, conversation switched quickly away from the topic of his love life as two out of the three missing party members arrived to join them. They walked casually into the study space out of the main corridor to greet the seated young men with a pair of friendly smiles. The young man wearing a blue and white jacket and matching red/white cap lead the way, his brown backpack hoisted over his shoulders comfortably. His pointed childlike face lit up beneath the spiky jet black hair as he saw his mates waiting for him. Jack politely smiled back. He remembered noting how Kadin liked to copy the look of Ash from Pokémon often when he wasn't cosplaying on the weekends. Final Fantasy seemed to be his go to preference according to his Instagram posts.</p><p>Close beside him was a smaller young woman named Danielle. An intelligent international student from Greece who was easily the smartest person out of any group she sits with. She adjusted the shoulder bag across her left arm dressed in a simple grey top and black skirt, matching tights and polished shoes completing the professional "school-girl" attire she wore proudly. Her dark brown hair fell across her shoulders as she scanned the room with big dark eyes that gave away a tiny hint of uncertainty. Jack liked Dani, how despite her self conscious nature she could still stand tall confident with who she is and what she's about. He envied that confidence. In another lifetime he might've considered asking her out. But she'd shoot him down faster than a rocket. She was way out of his league.</p><p>"About time" Ajay rejoiced throwing his hands in the air as they approached the table. "What the hell kept you guys? You weren't snogging in the toilet cubicles were you?"</p><p>"No of course not!" Dani recoiled, glancing apologetically to Kadin who just shook his head. The two of them had been best friends virtually from the word go and Ajay loved toying the the idea of the pair of them hooking up. Ignoring the little fact that Kadin was already happily in a serious relationship.</p><p>"Because it'd be cool if you were" Ajay teased enjoying how much it embarrassed the Greek girl. "You two make an adorable couple."</p><p>"We're just friends" Kadin told him, hoping to cement the answer and save him having to give it once again. "Besides, she's not really my type."</p><p>"I thought everyone was your type? That's what being Bi means right?"</p><p>"Careful there Ajay" Daniel warned quietly noting the waters the comedian was drifting towards.</p><p>"It's fine" Kadin smiled as he plopped down into his seat between them. He understood his mate didn't mean any potential offense in any joke he was driving towards. He never does. In fact Ajay was one of the most open minded people he'd ever met alongside everyone else at the university over his sexuality. They had nothing but respect for him and he was perfectly fine with the occasional light teasing. "He's just jealous" he said jokingly.</p><p>Ajay didn't miss a beat as he fell to his knees in front of Kadin. "Of course. You are the only one for me, my darling. Come and we will make beautiful babies together."</p><p>"Gross" Dani cringed from across the table.</p><p>"Which part?" Daniel chuckled. "The two of them having sex or the thought of Ajay spawning children?"</p><p>"Either image makes my spine shiver" Jack quipped quietly as he finished gathering up his stuff. He ignored the mocking looks he got from the young man on his knees as he shouldered his bag and reached over to grab his leather fedora from the table, giving them a parting smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need a drink. So I'll meet you guys downstairs." He shot a glance at Ajay finishing "if you can keep your hands to yourselves."</p><p>"I can't make any promises" he replied.</p><p>"Bite me" Kadin scoffed making the others chuckle as Jackson left them to it walking out of the studio into the main hallway.</p><p>The university was sprawling with students as he strolled casually down the stairs towards the onsite cafeteria, passing the tiny convenience shop at the bottom of the stairs brimming with stationary and snacks to keep weary travelers fueled and prepared for a week of lectures, tutorials and other surprises the high roller university life could throw at them. The cafeteria was an open seating space with a single counter where instead of cold drinks and crisps such adventurers could purchase hot meals and instant coffee (or opt for the more drinkable beverages for a steeper price). Jackson fell into the que effortlessly, scanning the room as men and women sat or walked glued to their smartphones and tablets chattering mindlessly all over the same topic. The final hand-in was in a week and most were busy trying to finish what they'd been putting off for days. Jack admittedly was also guilty of procrastinating but had the foresight of ploughing through the main project the previous night so he could relatively chill for the remaining four to six days, save a few rewrites.</p><p>As he surveyed the people his eye caught the sight of the hooded young man in front of him carrying a few dozen books in his arms. He found it odd as most would've dumped the lot into their bags. But this man seemed to have already stuffed his backpack full leaving little room for them. "Bit late to be hitting the books isn't it?" Jackson joked drawing the boy's attention. The pale faced student looked behind him at the animator in a hat and scowled before walking away without a word. "Have a nice day" he replied with a scowl of his own. <em>And I thought I was the antisocial one,</em> he thought to himself as he ordered his drink.</p><p>He leant against the counter and watched the young man vanish into the crowd. He was dressed all in black with jet black hair, the definition of what a "goth" would look like. However Jackson never got the impression Zachery Helmsley was putting on the act. The Graphic Designer never talked to anyone. He didn't like to socialize and always gave people a creepy vibe whenever he walked by them in a hurry. His most distinguishing feature (besides the pale skin and black hoodie) was the clouded right eye. Jackson noted how a few people had asked him about it, a year ago both his eyes were normal. But he just shrugged them off and sometimes just snapped at them. Eventually people just averted their gaze and left him alone. But Jackson had a constant urge to at least try and talk to him. Seeing how he just walked through his life all alone struck an alarming cord within him. He saw himself in Zac.</p><p>He was lost in thought by the time his drink arrived, the attendant prodding his arm to inform him how much he owed. He'd just finished paying when a familiar voice chirped up at the counter next to him. "Just a tea with two sugars please."</p><p>The moment his ears heard the girl's voice it sounded like he was listening to an orchestra in his head, the melody slowing down time until motion came to a crawl around him. His heartbeat fluttered as his lungs momentarily forgot how to function, his senses turning up to eleven as if his fight or flight response had engaged. Forcing himself to remain calm he turned his head to look over in her direction, his hazel eyes briefly glazing over filtering his vision until all he saw through them was her.</p><p>Every time he heard or saw her he reacted exactly like this. And each time it was followed with a single thought: <em>Amazing!</em></p><p>Kassie L'amahle was one of the brightest Illustration students in the course. Naturally gifted at art and also a member of the circle of friends Jackson was lucky to be a part of. Like Dani she was an international student, from South Africa, light skinned and grew up studying at British schools (meaning her English is better than his as he'd always joke). She was blonde and incredibly charming. Today she wore a speckled grey and white dress with a faded blue sleeveless jacket and brown shoes. Her favorite silver cross hung proudly around her neck. As she waited she adjusted her simple compact shoulder bag quietly humming to herself, her voice like an angel.</p><p>In short she was the most beautiful girl Jackson White had ever met.</p><p>Jackson stood motionless as he stared at her, mesmerized by the radiant glow she somehow always managed to project whenever she entered a room. After what felt like a lifetime her head turned and she looked in his direction, her sparkling grey eyes finding him as she broke into a welcoming smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. "Hi" she said, her greeting soft like a cloud as it drifted over him.</p><p>"Wow" he whispered under his breath, his heart pounding in his ears.</p><p>She stared back at him still smiling, her eyes narrowing briefly as she asked him "Are you okay?"</p><p>The question triggered Jack's survival impulse finally, reality snapping back to normal breaking him out of his trance. He blinked rapidly stuttering out a response trying to catch up with his brain. "Yeah, fine" he said quickly clearing his throat. "Sorry, I was… I was miles away."</p><p>Kassie nodded, believing his hasty answer as they both turned away to retrieve their drinks. Jackson took a deep breath as he got his nerves back under control, the ret hot flush burning at his ears with veiled embarrassment. He may have gotten good at hiding his feelings but that didn't mean it wasn't easy controlling them. "So" he said cautiously, not trusting his own voice to keep what he was bottling up a secret. "How are you today?"</p><p>"I'm good. Thanks for asking" she answered warmly as they slowly made their way across the cafeteria. "I just got given a lot of pointers for my final project. Things to add and improve my assignment before the hand in next week."</p><p>"I thought that was as good as finished?"</p><p>"So did I" she sighed. "But I have a lot to get done before then. It's tiring. How about you? Is your project doing okay?"</p><p>He nodded. "Just adding the finishing touches but it's just about there." He saw an opening and decided to take his chances. "Which leaves me a bit of free time to lend a hand if you need it?" Even as he said it he heard the little voice in his head whisper <em>wait for it.</em></p><p>"Oh, that's sweet" she replied with an affectionate smile. "Thanks, but I think I'll be fine."</p><p>
  <em>There it is.</em>
</p><p>Jackson shrugged. "If you change your mind you can always call" he offered while his inner voice cackled with an annoying trombone. Yeah, he might have predicted the response to his query but he had to at least ask. He wanted to be a good friend. Even if he couldn't be more than her friend.</p><p>So dismissing the mental hazing he followed Kassie to the stairs where she turned and asked "Are we still going to the food court this afternoon?"</p><p>"Yeah" he nodded signaling upstairs. "Everyone else is waiting upstairs. Ajay is being his usual comic self, so be warned."</p><p>"Oh dear" she chuckled making her way up the steps. Jackson found himself hanging back watching her ascend until she glanced back. "Aren't you coming?"</p><p>He took a breath to think about it before deciding not to. "Actually I need to make a quick phone call. So if it's okay I'll just wait down here."</p><p>"Okay. See you in a minute" she said giving him a small wave before she continued up the stairs.</p><p>He stood at the bottom of the steps watching her silently, a familiar ache rising in his chest as he watched her leave. He wanted to follow her up there, follow her everywhere, but he forced himself to disconnect. And every time, no matter how brief their parting was, it always hurt. <em>How long are you going to keep doing this?</em> He asked himself.</p><p>"Kassie!" he called up to her. She paused at the top of the stairs to turn and face him, standing patiently to see what the matter was. He stared up at her, seeing how beautiful she looked under the Florissant lights above her, his heart pounding against his ribcage. "I…" he started, his mind going blank. He saw the words he wanted to say, heard them in his own ears, but his mouth refused to speak them. Fear gripped his throat silencing him, choking back the confession he couldn't bring himself to admit. "I… I just wanted to say you look amazing" he said regrettably, his heart clenching in shame.</p><p>Kassie smiled, mildly blushing at the compliment as she walked away in the direction of the rest of their friends. Leaving Jackson White alone to scold himself for his cowardice.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>3</p><p>The memories flooded Jackson's mind as he fell to his knees, his life flashing before his eyes cementing the fact that what the wraith said was true. <em>Jackson White was dead</em>. "How…" he muttered on the verge of tears. "How did this happen?"</p><p>"You know how" the wraith replied, looking down at the open wound on Jack's chest.</p><p>"I know <em>how</em> I died!" he snapped angrily, the most recent memory fresh in his mind. "That's not what I… I mean… Why? Why now?" It felt too soon. He wasn't ready to leave yet. <em>Not now</em>! He took a deep breath before he lost it completely. The moment was lost. It was all over and he had to accept that. He wiped his eyes and looked back up at the wraith. "So… Is this hell?"</p><p>The disfigured man cast a glance around the landscape shaking his head. "No. This is just the next stage of your journey. But we cannot stay here. We must leave now."</p><p>Jack was about to ask what the hurry was. He was already dead. But then there was a howling sound out in the fog. Both of then turned in the general direction they believe the howl was coming from. It sounded like a sick pack of wolves. "What was that?" Jack asked, any despair and sorrow vanishing from his face to be replaced with fear.</p><p>The wraith didn't give anything away, his face as flat as a corpse as he answered quietly. "A fate worse than death. I'm not just your guide. I'm here to protect you on your journey to the Well. Now come with me. Your questions will be answered along the way."</p><p>Jack was still hesitant about leaving with his undead stranger, but the howling echoed around the city blocks again. When he looked back the wraith had already started walking away, prompting Jack to make up his mind and scramble to his feet. Casting one last look around the muted street and the void he sprinted away to catch up with his guide through whatever hellscape this was.</p><p>They walked in silence for a few minutes, walking along the dusty roads following the grim echoes of Derby. Jackson's head was on a swivel as he crossed the streets kicking up dust and ash, peering into the empty buildings through broken windows finding the dark rooms deathly silent. And yet as he walked past he felt dozens of eyes on him. He couldn't see anything except the occasional outline of a silhouette out the corner of his eye. Every time he spun around he caught glimpse of something walking beside him, or a small group drifting in the opposite direction. They kept phasing in and out of his vision like ghosts.</p><p>"Souls cast adrift after judgement" the wraith explained seeing Jacks expression. "When a soul passes through the afterlife they are given an eternal fate depending on their character and potential during their life. One such fate is to be cast back into the Nexus where they spend eternity wandering alone. All memories of their past life lost to the void."</p><p>"I thought you said this wasn't Hell?" Jack said still glimpsing the ghosts dotted around him.</p><p>"It isn't. Hell is worse. The dark realms are ruled over by the lords and deities each with their own idea of entertainment. Trust me, you'd rather be lost here than trapped down there."</p><p>Jack could barely keep his mind on task as they stepped out onto another empty road. He recognised the street, they were heading into the city centre crossing the junction. This junction however wasn't supposed to be empty nor crumbling. More alarmingly, the moment Jackson's foot stepped onto the pavement the road collapsed as the buildings behind him split apart floating into the void aimlessly. He stared back to watch the road disintegrate, careening into the empty space beneath them. "Well that's unsettling" he commented, looking up to watch the pieces of the city float over his head. "So…what would happen if I just jumped?"</p><p>"I'm not sure" his guide told him. "The Nexus is the focal point of all the worlds in creation, with branches leading to all corners of the afterlife. If you were to leap into the void it may simply reform a path for you to walk on. Or you may fall into another plane of existence. Nobody has been stupid enough to try and find out yet."</p><p>"The nexus of worlds?" Jack repeated, his brow suddenly furrowing. "What exactly is this place?"</p><p>"Creation is more than just your small realm of mortals. Countless realms make up the fabric of existence, each with their own societies and faiths and forces of nature. The Nexus connects them all like an ocean, the simplest means to pass from one realm to the next. If you know how to open the doors, of course."</p><p>The way the wraith explained it to him struck so many chords in Jack. The concept was not as alien as it should be. "You're talking about a Multiverse?" he gasped. The concept was fairly well known in all science and geekdom. The theory that for every idea or decision there was a universe where it existed. For example; there was an earth where Jack had never applied for University and an earth where he might be president.</p><p>
  <em>And one where I was finally honest.</em>
</p><p>Jackson's mind flickered back to the memories of his old life, the thoughts weighing heavy on his heart. The Wraith looked back to see him faltering, slowing his pace lost in thought, and came to a stop. "Are you a man of faith, Mr White?"</p><p>Jack looked up at the sound of his name, blinking away the image of a certain blonde haired young woman so he could answer. "Not really. I always believed there had to be…<em>something</em> out here we're not supposed to understand. But I never bought the whole idea of it being <em>one</em> god, <em>one afterlife</em>. However, I never imagined death being like… Well, this."</p><p>The wraith nodded in understanding. "The nexus is in constant flux. Each souls perceives it in the way they would find acceptable. They see their version of the afterlife as their faith dictates. Many, however, follow your philosophy and are able to catch glimpses at the realm is it truly is. The corridors between worlds. I believe most of you like to call it Limbo?"</p><p>"The space between spaces" Jack nodded. He looked around the familiar buildings. "So why does this place look almost exactly like where I came from?"</p><p>"Limbo acts as a bridge, connecting each realm to the rest of creation. You see your world here because it's a mirror image, the only way in and out of your world. Only the dead can pass through the veil of reality into here." He looked back at Jack, motioning them forward. "I must admit, you seem to be taking this better than many of the previous souls I've accompanied."</p><p><em>I'm not</em>, Jack silently thought fighting the blind panic bubbling under the surface. He was terrified but at the same time fascinated. He was on the other side witnessing what everyone had been arguing about since the dawn of time. <em>Life after death</em>. So far it seemed pretty grim.</p><p>They continued onwards until they crested a small hill and the wraith pointed towards a bright light shining a few yards away. "That is our destination" he told him.</p><p>Jack stood beside him peering into the fog where he saw the ruins of what appeared to be a church. But it was unlike any church he'd even seen on earth and therefore looked out of place amidst the rest of the landscape. It floated on a platform where dozens, hundreds of ghosts drifted aimlessly towards it like moths to a flame, climbing the floating steps and rocks drawn to the light. Jack looked into the centre of the ruins and saw a glowing circle casting a beam of mist and light blue illumination, shining into the sky acting like a beacon in this desolate wasteland. As he watch the ghosts stepped into the ruins only to bask in light and fade into the mist.</p><p>"Is that some kind of portal?" Jack asked the silent figure.</p><p>"To you" he nodded. "To the rest of these inhabitants they are just a memory. All new souls must pass through the light into the next stage of their journey. For those cast back it the only thing they recall, drawn back only to be cast away indefinitely. Forever seeking salvation where there is none."</p><p>Jack gulped as he watched more drift out of the streets, illuminated by the glow seeing men, women, children walk aimlessly towards the light. "So what happens when I step through?" he asked hesitantly.</p><p>"My duty to you will be complete" he answered flatly. "You will go on to face judgement. There you shall…" His voice trailed off as another howl ripped through the silent air grabbing their attention. This time significantly closer. "Damn, they're here" the wraith cursed whirling on the spot to scan the city streets and buildings.</p><p>Jack spun around in fear, the howls more and more frequent now as he searched the dark corners for danger. "What's here?" he asked panicking, turning back to the wraith finally seeing an expression in its contorted face. He saw determination and a hint of unease.</p><p>"I'd hoped to get you through before they picked up your scent" he said reaching into his cloak to pull out a long glistening blue sword. Shrugging the cloak off his shoulders he revealed the knights garb underneath, ripped and torn in places showing the skin and bone holding the figure together. "Stay behind me!" he ordered shoving Jackson behind his back.</p><p>Jack quickly did as he was told just as the ground cracked a few metres in front of them, erupting like geysers as several arms and fists punched their way out of the floor, crawling their way up out of the earth to reveal dozens of menacing empty faces snarling back at them as they howled once more.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>4</p><p>"One job Jackson! You had one job!"</p><p>Thankfully for Jackson the men's toilet was currently unoccupied, allowing him to vent at his own reflection in peace. He came straight in here after Kassie left him at the bottom of the stairs a few minutes earlier and had been mentally scolding himself since. He looked up at his reflection, seeing the hesitant gaze and quiet face staring back at him, the dark brown hair brushed neatly above his left eye with a hint of stubble around his jaw. He wasn't the worst looking lad in the building he was told. Yet whenever he looked at his own reflection he couldn't help but feel disheartened. Like something was…<em>broken.</em></p><p>
  <em>What would she see in me?</em>
</p><p>His mind was cast back to the first weeks of his first semester, all the days spent finding his footing in the new environment and new people and new classes. He was always rather self conscious and lacking in confidence so he never really went out of his way to engage with all of these strangers. Fortunately the course had a solution to force interaction, a set of team building exercises over the span of a few weeks merging all three sister courses.</p><p>That's where they first met. Just two passing individuals in the same room. But something about the young girl caught the shy isolated Jackson White's attention, something that always drew his eye whenever they were in the same room. He didn't understand why she was different. Yet that didn't stop him from looking forward to those sometimes ridicules exercises and projects in the hopes he would get the opportunity to talk to her. That chance came about when he stepped forward to draw a name out of a hat, selecting the man or woman he would work closely with on a photoshoot project. He'd call it blind luck if asked later but the truth was he caught the faintest indication of a <em>K</em> upon sneaking a peek into the hat before he reached down to select her name. Finally Jackson White and Kassie L'amahle got to become friends.</p><p>The project went off with only one hitch. Instead of working together by themselves the pair were joined by another group to assist each other in their relative projects. Though disappointed of the third parties Jackson couldn't begrudge succeeding in his task and getting to know the young blonde artist. He was kind, compassionate, smart, funny and stunningly beautiful. That day marked the beginning of a friendship that would last to this day. It would also mark the beginnings of what would become their friends circle. The third party that accompanied them was Kassie's friend Ajay Williams and through him Jack was introduced to Kadin Harvey. During the same week Jack was partnered with two other illustrators who joined their circle, Daniel Bonnar and Danielle Alcie (which he mispronounced "Alice" so many times she just allowed him to refer to her as so). In the year that followed the group hung out on a regular basis between lectures and lessons, comparing notes and helping one another with their projects. Jackson was the only animator in the group but still found some comradery with the artists and for the first time he felt like he might belong somewhere. But throughout the weeks and the months something remained drawing him towards Kassie, something he couldn't explain until the first summer break came around dispersing the group until September. No more than a week passed until Jack sat up in his bed, camping on the coast for a family holiday, a startling realization hitting him like a meteor.</p><p>In the whole time Jack had been studying, romance was the furthest thing from his mind. He didn't go in looking for friends though he was grateful to find them. And by extension he wasn't expecting to find a girlfriend. But now he realized he'd discovered something he hadn't considered until that night. He'd developed feelings for a girl. He was falling for Kassie.</p><p>The second year proved to be much more difficult after that. Now aware of his strong attraction to the young South African woman Jackson had to navigate his newfound friendship whilst juggling his complicated emotions. This was the first time he'd felt this strongly about anyone in his life and had no idea how to deal with them. He couldn't talk to his friends or his parents. Jackson was a very private person. So this left him alone to traverse the rocky waters in the hopes of exploring this new side of his emotions. But he was terrified of losing her as a friend and feared revealing his true feelings would jeopardize that friendship. So instead of coming forward from the start he remained silent in hopes his feelings would pass. When they didn't he finally considered the prospect of himself and Kassie actually dating and came to the conclusion that he wanted to take the chance.</p><p>This however brought forward a new complication. The closer Jackson became drawn to Kassie, the clearer it became that Kassie herself <em>didn't</em> feel the same way.</p><p>He never got the courage to simply ask her how she felt but he liked to believe he'd developed a sixth sense in reading people over the years. And everything he was reading in her said this kind, beautiful young woman very much liked him but only as a friend. Knowing this drove Jackson into an awkward state of limbo where he simply retreated back into his head and buried his feelings for her, figuring it's better to suffer in silence. But that didn't mean he just gave up on the possibility he might be wrong, occasionally testing the waters by slyly asking Kassie out under the guise of a simple friendly get together. Which she continuously turned him down.</p><p>That's where Jack stood now, suffering in silence trapped forever in a cycle where his head would tell him to move on while his heart would drive him back to the girl of his dreams on a minute by minute basis. It affected him almost constantly, clouding his focus, confidence, emotions and attention. He couldn't think about anything else on a bad day, like he was spiraling inside a void until the moment he laid his eyes on her again. She was like a drug and he could kick the feeling. The only lighthouse in the distance as darkness surrounded him.</p><p>"Come on, get it together" he said to his reflection, splashing some cold water across his face trying to wake himself up and get out of his head. He'd been searching for a way to change things around, ease the tension growing between himself and Kassie because of this one-sided crush. She hadn't said anything but he could tell something was off whenever they were together. He knew it was because of how he kept pulling away whenever he felt the urge to say something, do something, for fear of ruining what they have. Seeing no other alternative then to simply come clean he tried to finally tell her the truth and just ask her out. But every time he opened his mouth he bottled it, falling back into default and pretending everything was ok. "Hey Kassie. You look great today" he rehearsed for the hundredth time that month in front of the mirror, thankful nobody was around to listen to him. "I was just wondering if you would like to join me for a drink, or perhaps a walk. Just the two of us because…because…"</p><p>He gave up and slammed his head into the glass. Even all alone he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. <em>Because I really like you Kassie. I've liked you since the moment we met. But recently I've been feeling more. I think…I think I'm falling in love with you and I don't know if you feel the same way. I've wanted to tell you for so long but I was afraid that when I do things between us would just…I don't want to lose you as a friend.</em></p><p>"I don't want to lose you" he whispered, looking back up at his reflection in time to witness somebody opening the door behind him entering the toilets. Quickly brushing himself off he straightened his glasses and composed himself as if nothing had transpired, casting one last whimsical look in the mirror before turning to leave.</p><p>He stepped out of the quiet men's room into the busy university complex. Students of all ages dashed about ignoring the distracted animator as he leant back against the cream colored walls listening to the hustle. The joy of being the outsider of nearly all of society is the moments of peace where he just soaks in all the discussions around him. Allows him to still feel a part of the world. In front of him was the cafeteria where dozens of students sat or stood sipping their drinks or tapping on their laptops chatting to one another. To his right a corridor led down to an auditorium where they would hold lectures on a regular basis. Above him more people paced up and down the stairs and along the next floor. To his left was the reception, the exit and a small crowd where a very loud commotion was happening.</p><p>"I said leave it, you twit!" An angry voice shouted from behind the assembled audience. Jacks ears perked up when he recognized the voice, rolling his eyes as he went to investigate. <em>What now?</em></p><p>In the middle of the small huddle of people was a pale young man in a dark tracksuit and hoodie, scowling furiously at a large burly guy twice his size. Books and notes were scattered over the floor around their feet along with the remains of a sandwich and a spilt coffee cup. "Who are you calling a twit you paled face moron?" The big guy replied, his ragged hair falling over his eyes as he towered over the other man.</p><p>"Terry, just chill alright!" His friend said trying to calm him, attempting to step between the pair of them. "It was just an accident."</p><p>"That was all I had to eat today!" Terry snapped pointing at his ruined sandwich, glaring at the dark haired pale skinned student. "Why should I apologize when he ran into me?"</p><p>"Maybe if you learnt to open your bloody eyes and look where you're going you won't have to" Zachery Helmsley growled, fixing him with a cold stare through his one good eye. His right eye was a cloudy white, staring at everyone watching with a creepy mist that put anyone looking at it on edge.</p><p>"Funny coming from you?" Terry snarled. "Being half blind doesn't give you a pass to act like a jerk."</p><p>Terry's friend gave him a look telling him to calm down, turning to Zac speaking calmly. "Look, it was an accident. We all know this. So maybe we should just leave it be before things escalate. Okay?" He looked between both guys, thankful when Terry took a breath and relaxed his shoulders.</p><p>Zachery however only got angrier. "I don't need you to fight my battles you dark skinned tosser!" He snapped, turning his attention on the other man who was caught off guard with shock. Even the audience deep a sharp breath as he continued cursing them. "I don't pity from a nigger like you! Now get out of my face!"</p><p>"YOU GET OUT OF OURS YOU PALE FACED FREAK!" Terry screamed, ignoring his friend's words of caution as he charged forward striking the boy with a powerful backhand.</p><p>He flew to the ground hitting the reception, the lady behind the counter pressing a buzzer signaling for security. As Terry looked over him Zac hooked his knees under him, pulling his hand out of his pocket concealing something in his palm. Before he could spring up and use it Jackson went against his better judgement and leapt in from of the large man. "That's enough! Just back off!" He said sternly, showing a rare exhibition of confidence he wasn't usually known for as he squared up to the burly opponent.</p><p>"That asshole disrespected me and my friend" Terry shouted. "He needs to be locked up in some mental asylum with the rest of the crazies."</p><p>"I said back off!" Jack repeated standing his ground as Terry came face to face, looking him in the eye trying not to waver. <em>What a time to play the hero idiot</em>, the voice in his head mocked. He ignored it, measuring his next words carefully. "I'm sorry for my friend. He can be…difficult. If you need me too I'll gladly buy you another sandwich or a three course meal. But I think we'd all prefer not to be a part of a brawl this close to the deadline. Agreed?"</p><p>Terry paused thinking it over. Any discretion like this could lead to a suspension or expulsion. And they'd all worked too hard to let it all go to waste with just a week to go. He turned to his friend, who was nodding frantically. "Fine" he huffed casting a final growl towards the pale one eyed boy. "Keep that freak on his lease" he warned as he walked through the crowd, followed by the smaller black man who mouthed a relieved "thank you" back at Jackson.</p><p>Jack let out a long exhale he hadn't noticed he'd been holding, closing his eyes and allowing the crowd to part around him while he composed his thoughts. Behind him Zachery rose back to his feet silently, his hand returning to his pocket. "I hope you weren't planning on using that" Jack said reopening his eyes. He could feel the boys gaze burning into his skull. He'd spotted the boys hand reach into his pocket and remembered how fond Zachery Helmsley was of carrying knives into university. He decided it'd be safer to jump in and prevent any serious harm from being done then waiting on the sidelines for the toxic Graphic Design student to start lashing out with a blade.</p><p>"You shouldn't have interfered" Zach growled as Jack turned around slowly to face him.</p><p>"And you shouldn't be picking fights" Jack rebuffed, looking down at the scattered books on the floor. Zach noticed his gaze and quickly crouched down to pick them up. Jack kneel down to help, casting an eye over a thick volume titled <em>Myths and Legends; the truth behind the Dark Arts. </em>"Not exactly light reading" he quipped before the boy snatched it out of his hand.</p><p>"I don't need your charity" he snarled shoving them into his backpack, rising up to his feet glaring at the rest of the complex who were still staring in his direction. "I can take care of myself."</p><p>Jack wondered how far he would've gone to "take care of himself" had he not intervened. He normally wouldn't concern himself with other people's drama like this, but Zach was different. He kept lashing out at everyone, angry at the world for whatever hardships he was going through. He never talked about it, didn't open up to anyone. The others tried, especially Kassie. She was kind like that. But he pushed her away, pushed them all away. Jack considered leaving him alone like he wanted but he saw a lot of himself in the boy. He could be just as cold and distant as Zach, just as private and angry sometimes. The one thing he understood was that the last thing he wanted in that moment was to be alone. So he never stopped being there no matter how resentful the bastard was. The one time he lost it was when Zach was rebuffing another of Kassie's olive branches. He lashed out and said some things that was more than hurtful towards her and Jack just snapped. He almost got as far as punching the guys brains out but Kassie stopped him, begging him not to do anything. Though he didn't hurt Zach that day she appreciated the fact he was willing to defend her like that.</p><p>"Is everything okay over here?" The security guard asked, finally arriving on scene missing all the action.</p><p>"Yeah, everything's fine" Jack told him. "Just a misunderstanding. We're all good."</p><p>The older man glanced between him and the scowling young body before nodding pleasantly, walking over to the receptionist to get her version of events. Zach walked away not paying it any mind forcing Jack to jog after him. "I don't need protecting like some lamb. Why won't you just stay out of my business?" He asked the persistent animator.</p><p>"I'm just trying to be a friend" he replied curtly.</p><p>"We are not friends!"</p><p>"No, but look like you need one" Jack told him.</p><p>The boy spun around glaring at him, the misty eye burning into his soul menacingly. "I DON'T NEED ANYONE! Now I'm telling you for the last time, LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed, shoving Jackson away hard enough to send him flying across the floor into a table. He stumbled to the ground hard, chairs clattering in all directions as he landed on his back banging his head. Zach scowled down at him as he left, marching past the shouting security guard before barging out the glass doors leaving the university.</p><p>"Jackson!" Kassie's voice called out as she sprinted down the stairs along with the rest of the group, coming to his aid while he pushed himself to his elbows. They were halfway down the steps when they all witnessed Zach push him to the floor, letting him march away before running to his side. Danielle knelt beside him checking his head for any injuries as the rest hovered over him. "Are you okay?" She asked him worried.</p><p>"I'm fine" he replied, feeling slightly dazed. He looked up at the concerned faces and offered a cursory smile, trying to quell their fears.</p><p>Daniel looked over his shoulder as he offered him his hand. "What set him off this time?" He asked.</p><p>"Hell if I know" Jack replied, clasping the outstretched palm and pulling himself to his feet. He nodded in thanks to the bearded man before addressing the others. "You all took your time getting down here. Missed all the excitement" he chuckled.</p><p>"Are you sure you're okay?" Kassie asked him.</p><p>"You really worried about me?"</p><p>"Of course" she told him, before adding "I worry about everyone."</p><p>He couldn't help but chuckle before taking her hand gently. "I'm alright" he assured her, watching the relief wash over her expression. They stood there silently until Jack realized he was still holding her hand, letting go quickly.</p><p>"Good. Now that that's over can we go?" Ajay asked spinning on his heel. "I'm starving" he told them as he led the group out of the university. The rest followed frowning at how annoying he was being, sluggishly falling in line while Jack brushed himself off. Dani held back to retrieve his hat for him, returning it with polite nod before they both followed behind them, jogging to catch up so they could get something to eat.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>5</p><p>"Get behind me!" the wraith ordered drawing his sword, stepping in front of Jackson as the creatures rose out of the ground.</p><p>The terrified young mortal backed up behind his guide staring over his shoulder, his eyes wide as the hollow gaze of the monsters locked onto him. "What are those things?" he asked the disfigured soldier.</p><p>"They are known as the Soulless" he quickly explained brandishing his blade. The Soulless looked like taller versions of Gollum from <em>Lord of the Rings</em>, except with skin peeling off their frail bones exposing their decaying muscles. They looked like a dehydrated raisin on unsteady legs, their taunt faces wrapped around their skulls baring black teeth removing their noses and highlighting their empty hollow eyes staring back at him. Their howl cut through the silence like a siren, echoed by the addition of over a dozen more howls as even more scurried out behind them like rats crawling out of the buildings and concrete drawn towards the two figures.</p><p>"What are they?" Jack repeated, feeling like he need a little more to go on before he crapped himself.</p><p>"When a soul is returned to Limbo after judgment they are left to roam for all eternity. Centuries adrift in the Nexus hollows them out to the point the remains of one's consciousness simply drift out into the void becoming the wisps you witnessed when you arrived. The soulless are what's left behind. An empty husk forever seeking to become whole by devouring whatever souls they can find. They are drawn to fresh beings like yourself, hence why my kind are sent to escort you."</p><p>Jack whirled on the wraith panicked. "You saying they want to eat me?"</p><p>"And I'm here to protect you" he confirmed, scanning the growing horde of Soulless forming in front of them. He glanced back towards the shining beacon of light behind them. "Stay close to me. Once you cross the threshold of the gateway they cannot hurt you. But we must move now!"</p><p>Taking the mortal by the arm the wraith led the way towards the beacon, both guys kicking up dust as they sprinted away. The mindless beasts darted after them like a pack of hyenas chasing them through the streets. The horde filled the empty space, knocking over crumbling benches and overturning cars while ploughing through ghosts who barely noticed or felt a disturbance as they continued towards the light. Jack weaved between the outlines running in the same direction, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly watching the horde close the distance behind him. The wraith cut down those who got too close for comfort. His sword swung left and right, slicing through the husks like a knife through butter. But there was just too many of them.</p><p>The distance between them and the beacon felt like a growing organism, extending longer and longer with every step. Jack hoped that was his imagination, though the words of the wraith telling him of how the realm reassembled itself rang loudly in his memory. He just kept moving, pushing himself faster trying to keep ahead of the horde. He could feel them on his heels, their snarls everywhere overpowering the sounds of hacking and slashing indicating his bodyguard was still on hand. But the next time he glanced over his shoulder his fears were realised. "Hey!" he called back, freezing to the spot as he saw the wraith fall to the ground.</p><p>"RUN!" he called back, fighting back against the monsters overwhelming him as they drove him to the floor. His sword clattered out of his hand, forcing him to use his fists as they scratched and tore at him with their clawed fingers. "GET TO THE LIGHT! GET OUT OF HERE!" he screamed back to the mortal, urging him on while he kicked back against the soulless.</p><p>Jack hesitated staring at the carnage, seeing the wraith get buried under the weight of all the monsters. He heard his voice under the constant buzz of growls and howls telling him to run, urging him to go without him. But he didn't know if he could get out of this place without him to protect him.</p><p>The image of a hollowed glare leaping towards him snapped the mortal out of his hesitation as he fell back to avoid the howling creature. Scrambling away he retreated back onto the path towards the beacon of light, dodging swipes from the mindless monsters as he sprinted along the jagged road. The concrete grew more and more uneven the closer he got to the ruins, the cracked pavement lifting up off the floor forming an uneven staircase up to the light. He leapt up them two at a time, brushing through vague ghosts as the pale mists swirled around him. For a moment he thought he'd made it.</p><p>Until the stray lumbering creature appeared out of the fog and collided into him from his right. Jack tripped over his own feet careening down the steps as the soulless pounced on him, clawing at his jacket and jeans wildly. "Get away from me!" he cried kicking them away, pushing himself back up only to feel one of the husks jump onto his back where it's teeth suddenly sank into his flesh. He let out a piercing scream as the black jaw locked around in collarbone, his skin melting like it'd come in contact with sulphuric acid. It burned white hot even after he flung the monster off of him, clutching the wound feeling it smoulder under his touch. "Shit!" he whimpered, momentarily distracted from the overwhelming force about to crash over him. By the time he looked up they were on top of him, teeth bared and claws outstretched ready to tear him apart.</p><p>
  <em>I'm about to die…again.</em>
</p><p>As Jackson closed his eyes and waited for the end to come, the Soulless clawing at him fighting over each other to feed on his soul, time suddenly slowed down to a crawl around him. The sensation wasn't too alien to the mortal. He was in a heightened state of fight or flight sending his mind into overdrive. But instead of his thoughts shooting a mile a minute his head was filled with a deafening whine of a high pitched sound that felt worse than the pain in his shoulder. As it increased in pitch it was accompanied by a burning in his chest, igniting inside the wound which suddenly stopped bleeding. "RARGH!" He screamed as pain erupted from his torso, the stab wound bursting with white hot fire lighting up the Soulless crawling all over him. The creatures howled in pain as lightning ripped through the air shooting into the sky, knocking the horde back in a wide circle leaving Jackson stumbling in a smouldering crater. He fell to his hands and knees gasping for breath, pale smoke billowing from his wound still crackling with electricity.</p><p>
  <em>What the hell just happened?</em>
</p><p>He sat back on his knees staring down at the glowing wound in his chest, dumbfounded and confused and mildly dazed. Around him the Soulless huddled in a circle, hesitant to move forward scowling at the black patches dotted across their skin from where the light and lightning struck them. Whatever happened hurt them.</p><p>Jack didn't have time to ponder the mysteries of his survival as a handful of the monsters got over their fears and sprung forward, sprinting back at him angrily. He threw his hands up to defend himself shouting "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" as the burn on his hand suddenly lit up on his palm.</p><p>The symbol branded into his skin glowed and before he could react there was a blast of orange fire, shooting from his hand and engulfing the soulless bearing down on him. They wailed in agony before disintegrating into ash scaring the rest into scurrying away in terror. He watched the last of them disappear back into the cracks of the empty streets, turning his hand around to stare at the glowing scar etched into his palm. The lines looked like he'd been burned recently but he felt no pain as the fire flickered around his fingers before going out. "What the hell is happening?" He asked quietly.</p><p>"Hey! Kid! You alright?" The wraith's voice cut through the silence waking him out of his daze, turning his head to see the soldier limping towards him with a startled expression. His clothes were torn to shreds but otherwise he appeared no worse for wear. He looked down at the burn on his hand, his gaze cautious as he asked him what happened.</p><p>"I don't know" he answered moments before the pain came back, shooting into his skull with a high pitched whine. He clutched his skull as the images of his past life flashed before his eyes again, replaying his final moments while he keeled over in agony. The wraith fell to his side screaming his name as his vision faded to white.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>6</p><p>Jack's eyes opened to find his food still half eaten. He'd taken a second to recover from the spiciness of the chicken which was still hot, exactly as he'd ordered it. <em>Why do I do this to myself?</em> He pondered looking around the table to see most of the others having little trouble enjoying their food.</p><p>They all sat around a large table stationed in the middle of the restaurant they chose to eat in, a poplar chain specialising in hot spicy chicken and the like. Not usually Jack's first choice but then he doesn't usually eat out at all. So coming to Nando's with his friends was a nice change of pace. The restaurant was stationed on the outskirts of the food court inside the giant shopping centre in the heart of the city and was currently packed to the brim with customers, making it a miracle they were able to land a table of this size on short notice. Jack sat with his back to the window. Again, not his first pick as he liked to watch the populous move around him. His hat was placed comfortably by his side on the table out the way of the plates and cutlery and other table additions; salt, pepper, menus, sauces, etc. His bag was draped over the back of his chair. To his right Daniel sat lounged in his seat, his burger half eaten but with no hurry to devour it all at once. Next to him Kadin finished his plate and nudged it away, his jacket hanging on the back of his chair with his cap mirroring Jack's on his left. Opposite the animator was Ajay, who was struggling with his food just as much as he was. Unlike Jackson, who ordered what he knew he would enjoy eating, Ajay opted to try and appear tough and cool and ordered a level hotter than he could stomach. Watching the cocky young man take a determined bite and hold back tears in his eyes was a constant source of entertainment to everyone at the table. Falling down the other side towards Jack's left was Danielle, casually digging into her meal which boasted the same spice level as Ajay but without the tears. She was used to eating hot food like this and found the looks from her friends amusing. Next to her was Kassie, quietly enjoying her order also accustomed to the spicy nature. Needless to say the girls were putting the boys to shame.</p><p>"So" Daniel said breaking the ice addressing the group warmly. They'd been siting there quietly for almost ten minutes and decided now was a good time to start some friendly conversation. "With the official hand-in of our assignments mere weeks away, what's everyone got planned for the holidays?"</p><p>"I intend to spend some much needed quality time with my boyfriend" Kadin answered, proudly smiling at the prospect of a whole month just the two of them without the stress of work.</p><p>"Lame" Ajay responded wiping his mouth.</p><p>"I have to study for my entrance exam for that course in Japan" Dani said regrettably. "I'm afraid it's going to take up much of my time."</p><p>"Also lame" Ajay said.</p><p>She rolled her eyes at his mocking tone and turned to face him. "Well what do you intend to do over the holidays then?" she asked slightly infuriated.</p><p>He didn't miss a beat as he sat forward adopting a cheerful smirk across his face. "I intend to finally ask Kory to go out with me" he announced. "I've got the perfect date lined up; drinks from costa, quiet walk across the river front, desert at my place…"</p><p>"Unless she says no" Kadin chimed in, derailing the boys daydream.</p><p>"How she say no to all of <em>this</em>?" he scoffed objectively.</p><p>Kassie attempted to hold back her laugh as she answered "quite easily I'd imagine", earning a round of chuckles from the table at Ajay's expense.</p><p>He let them have their laugh, nodding at the attention before switching the spotlight over to his conservative little friend. "Okay then, <em>Little Miss Perfect,</em> what have you got planned after the deadline? A hot date with the boyfriend you won't tell me about?"</p><p>The question silenced the group as all eyes spun to face the blonde, who refused to indulge the boy's vivid imagination. "Wait? You have a boyfriend?" Kadin asked with surprise.</p><p>"No! I don't" she told them shaking her head. "Ajay just likes to keep teasing me about having one."</p><p>Everyone spun back to Ajay, who admitted "Alright, there is no boyfriend that I know of. But I know there is someone she likes. I just can't work out who it is."</p><p>"Well she's not just going to tell you about them, is she?" Dani retorted. She shared a glance with Kassie who quietly nodded in thanks. But the way her cheeks turned red indicated there was truth to Ajay's claim. Dani wasn't the only one who noticed as Jack fixed his gaze to his plate, absently pushing his food around with his fork. Dani diverted the topic back to Daniel's question. "So what are you going to do? After the deadline?" she asked her.</p><p>Kassie thought about it a moment before replying simply "I think I'll just go home. Spend some time with my parents. Nothing special. I miss them a lot and can't wait to be back in my own bed."</p><p>Dani nodded understanding perfectly. But after a few minutes she decided to weigh her opinion on the other thing as she scooted over to speak quietly. "You should ask them" she told her.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"This person you like. Whoever it is, you should ask them out."</p><p>Kassie looked up at the Greek girl about to deny the whole thing. But she was sincere and, honestly, keeping her feelings a secret was starting to wear a bit thin. "I don't know" she said, turning away looking down at her plate. "Maybe it's best if I don't say anything."</p><p>"No, she's right" Kadin concurred. Both girl's eyes shot up to look at him, meeting an expression that told them they weren't as quiet as they'd like to be. Dani sighed apologetically while he continued softly. "Look, life's too short to leave things unsaid. If you really like someone, you should go for it. You deserve to be happy." He turned to his left and addressed the only quiet member of their group. "Right Jack?"</p><p>"Huh?" Jack replied, hearing his name but missing the rest of it. He did this a lot, zone out of the conversation and forced to play catch up. He quickly recalled the bullet points: <em>deadline, holidays, dating, Kassie, boyfriend.</em> "Um…yeah, I guess" hoping that would be enough.</p><p>"You okay?" Kassie asked seeing his distracted expression.</p><p>He looked up at her and turned red, releasing a slow breath as he composed his answer. He'd normally just answer with "fine", brushing them off, but he didn't like lying to her of all people. "Yeah, sorry" he answered honestly. "I was kind of in a world of my own."</p><p>"Thinking about love?" Ajay queried from across the table. Jack looked up in his direction seeing him perched on his palm staring back at him curiously. "Come on then. Who do you dream about? There must be someone out there you're into. Who's got the heart of Jackson White beating so fast?"</p><p>Though no one was paying the boy any heed Jack still felt their eyes on him. It felt like a spotlight had been switched on and was pointed straight at him. His brow became coated in a thin sheen of sweat as he tried to come up with an answer. Or better yet no answer at all. But when he glanced to his left he saw Kassie looking at him a lump suddenly formed in his throat. For a moment he considered coming clean. He pictured himself turning in his seat and taking Kassie's hand in his, looking her in the eye and confessing his feelings for her. He played out everything he'd wanted to say outload for weeks, projecting each word like a sonnet from his heart. His mind conjured up the image of her staring back at him, her mouth opening to speak… but he couldn't hear her words. Couldn't see her reaction. He didn't know how she'd take it, if she'd feel the same or if she'd just reject him.</p><p>
  <em>She'd be too kind to just break my heart, but I don't want her to be uncomfortable either. If I'm right and she doesn't like me that way, then all I'm doing is putting a wedge in our relationship. I don't want to lose her.</em>
</p><p>So, with a heavy heart, Jackson did the only thing he wasn't afraid to do. He lied. "No one. There's no one. Just not that lucky I guess" he shrugged.</p><p>Kassie looked at him sadly seeing his expression fall, not realising she was the reason for his despair as she put a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't worry" she said cheerfully. "You'll find someone."</p><p>He looked down at her hand, appreciating the sentiment while Ajay replied with "Just like me and my dream barista girl", sparking a new round of jokes and retorts aimed at his cocky demeanour. Even Kassie glanced away to watch the talks unfold. Jack's gaze remained transfixed on her gentle hand, raising his own to hover just over it wishing he could just hold it like he'd always wished. The moment passed however as she pulled way, leaving him to stare longingly back at her for the rest of the evening wishing things could be different.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>7</p><p>Jack's eyes opened to a new set of unfamiliar surroundings, cold stone walls twelve feet high without a single window in sight. The wireframe bed he was laying upon was beyond uncomfortable, the metal digging into his back like it was rusted over. He groaned rolling over to the side, toppling off the side onto the dusty ground kicking up a thick cloud.</p><p>
  <em>Jesus Christ! Where am I now?</em>
</p><p>Blinking away the dust in his eyes Jack pushed himself back to his feet, quickly slumping down onto the bed when he felt drowsy. He had a headache and his chest felt like it was on fire. "What did I have to drink last night?" he pondered, his memory fuzzy.</p><p>"So you're the soul I've been hearing about?"</p><p>The voice boomed over the cell walls making Jack jump out of his skin. He looked up to find a huge burly dark-skinned bald man with a bushy beard staring back at him. His pure grey eyes glowered menacingly and Jackson realised he couldn't find a pupil within them, which was unsettling. He was dressed in a pelt warriors garb not unlike the outfits he'd seen Vikings wear in history books, with the addition of a plated shoulder guard and gauntlet on his right arm. His left arm was wrapped up with discoloured bandages leading up to his elbow. On his right shoulder he bore a large blue tattoo resembling the Star of David combined with two crosses bisecting the middle. His muscles were on display underneath his crossed arms, a faded grey shroud hanging over his shoulder down his back, a large sword holstered on his hip.</p><p>
  <em>This dude means business.</em>
</p><p>"Who are you?" Jackson gulped, looking up at the towering hulk that looked like he could snap him in two using only his thumb.</p><p>"I'm the one asking the questions" he said, his voice deep and gravely showing no emotion. Even his piercing face lacked any expression except contempt. It was terrifying. "You survived the Soulless. I want to know how?"</p><p>"Soulless?" Jack echoed confused. Finally his memories cleared up and his eyes went wide. "Hang on, where am I?"</p><p>"Where all the dead go" the man replied bluntly.</p><p>Jack sighed falling back against the uncomfortable frame. "Oh god! I hoped that was all a dream" he groaned rubbing his eyes. He recalled the monsters that attacked him and then passing out. He even remembered the disfigured man who was helping him. "The other guy? The wraith? Where's he? Is he okay?"</p><p>"The one assigned to you brought you here after you collapsed and fulfilled his duty to you. Now he has other matters to attend to, like I do. Instead I'm here." He fixed a cold glare on Jack, asking again. "How did you kill the Soulless?"</p><p>Jack shrugged casting his thoughts back to the traumatic ordeal. "I don't know. One minute those things were all over me. The next… I thought I was going to die. Thought I did. But then my head… Something hit me. I can't explain it. It felt like my insides were on fire. I must've blacked out."</p><p>"Hmm" the tall man grunted. "The wraith carried you through the gate a few hours ago. Apparently your wounds were smoking, leaking astral energy. Could've been a surge of life force shooting through your body. It happens sometimes when a mortal body undergoes an attempt at resuscitation. The energy is toxic to the Soulless. Make no mistake, however, you were <em>dead</em> when you passed through to this world."</p><p>Jack looked over his body at the various wounds marking his skin. The stab wound in his chest had stopped bleeding, feeling tender to the touch as if it had been cauterized by an intense heat source. His clothes were torn and ripped in places leaving minor scratches on his arms and legs. The only other serious wound was found on his right shoulder where one of the Soulless bit into his flesh. The teeth marks were pure white, a mild ache reminding him how much it hurt. "So who are you exactly?" he asked the man as he rose to his feet, feeling the need to stretch his legs. "Another wraith? And where exactly am I?"</p><p>"Somewhere safe" he told him, turning around to lead him out of the cell. "And if you must know, I'm the one in command. My name is Azrael."</p><p>Jack's head snapped up recognizing the name. "Azrael? As in the Angel of Death? You're kidding right?"</p><p>Azrael paused to glance over his shoulder. "Does it look like I'm kidding?" he growled.</p><p>The Angel marched away leaving Jackson to quickly wrap his head around everything before chasing after him. The cell was positioned facing a balcony, a tight winding path following along the wall into a long winding corridor. Azrael was already halfway along this path walking past several more cells when Jack comes barrelling out of his room. "So what am I doing here?" Jack asked nearly toppling over the side.</p><p>Bracing himself against the railing he found himself staring down into the empty void of space, the glistening lights of distant stars blinking back at him swirling together in clusters of multi-coloured clouds and wisps. He looked out over the expanse watching a comet fly across the void following an unseen current into a giant translucent whirlpool hovering beneath the black structure he was standing within. The giant obsidian rock orbited above the chaotic force of nature. The more Jackson stared out into the colourful space the worse the vertigo made his stomach queasy, especially when he realised the rock was tilting on its axis as if gravity didn't exist in this void. "What is this place" Jack quaked, throwing himself back against the far wall trying to find solid ground before he threw up.</p><p>Azrael stopped to look back at the queasy young mortal, casting a glance out into the void. For a moment he allowed a hint of a bemused smile. But ultimately his expression remained as disinterested as always. Locking his cold eyes on Jackson he calmly recited "Welcome to the Well of Souls kid."</p><p>"Where the hell is this?" Jack demanded wildly. "That's not Derby! That's not even Earth!"</p><p>"This place exists outside all known planes of existence. A pocket reality you might call it. Time and space hold no constraints here, connecting the borders of both the living and the dead. This is where souls like you come to learn your final fate before being cast back into creation."</p><p>"None of that any sense" Jack retorted.</p><p>"It's not a requirement for it to make sense for you to pass on" he told him, turning back to continue his path deeper into the building.</p><p>After a few seconds Jack decided it'd be in his best interest to follow the Angel of Death rather than sit there staring into the abyss. "So," he gulped picking himself up to his feet. "This is the Well of Souls? And we're floating around a vortex. Good to know."</p><p>"Technically the vortex <em>is</em> the Well of Souls" Azrael explained. "It's not a place, it's a force of nature. It exists everywhere and nowhere all at once. It's the embodiment of rebirth, the epicentre of life and death. Everything within the mortal worlds and the afterlife are connected through it. You exist because of it. I suppose you mortals could call it God."</p><p>
  <em>We're circling god? Seriously?</em>
</p><p>The corridors stretched forward before them, granite statues lining either side of them. Jack had no idea who these people were but some of them didn't look human. "Stay close" Azrael told him, spotting him pausing in front of a large statue that appeared to be wearing armour, a small label at its base reading <em>DM1-5</em>. Once he'd caught up he explained "it's easier to get lost in here than you might think."</p><p>"You're not too friendly are you?" Jack sighed following obediently scanning the statues and walls.</p><p>"My job is to protect the Well of Souls from outside influences, in charge of defending this fortress and all its inhabitants. Not escorting wayward spirits. Those tasks are put to my wraiths."</p><p>"If this job is beneath you then why are you here?" He asked him.</p><p>The dark skinned man gave Jack another cold stare and the mortal wondered if the man was even capable of showing emotion. "When souls start wiping out packs of Soulless on their way to the Well I make it my business to ensure they aren't a threat. Especially now." The last sentence was spoken in a whisper, the first real sign of the man's feelings as Jack heard the somber tone in his voice. They rounded the corner and came up to a large gold plated door that filled up the hall, nearly thirteen feet high. Upon the surface was a giant engraving of a triple headed dog staring down at them, ancient symbols of dozens of civilisations circling the border. Jack saw Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek alphabet, Russian, Chinese, alongside even more he didn't recognise. None of it he could read.<em> Everything except English? Rude</em>, his brain thought. "The judges reside beyond this door" Azrael told him waiting before it.</p><p>"Judges?" Jack asked just as the doors swung open of their own accord. Blue mists seeped out as the two of them were met by a strong breeze sending a chill down his spine. The room opened up to reveal a dark interior and a foreboding pathway. But when Jack peered inside all he saw was fog beyond the narrow corridor. "What is this place?"</p><p>"This is where your fate will be decided" Azrael said bluntly. When the boy looked to him for answers he offered none, only instructing him onward. "You walk on alone."</p><p>With no other recourse Jackson swallowed back his trepidation and stepped forward into the darkness. As he approached slowly his eyes darted around the corridor, discovering he was actually stepping into a giant auditorium. Stone seats circled either side of him disappearing into the mist, towering high along the walls of the great cavern. He looked up unable to see the top, then looking down in time to find his feet on the edge of a ledge. The floor of the cavern was missing, giving way to a long drop down into a swirling whirlpool similar to the vortex he'd seen surrounding them outside. Within the pool he glimpsed shapes swimming in circles down into an endless corridor.</p><p>
  <em>The Well of Souls?</em>
</p><p>He pulled his gaze back to his level, finding the path leading out over the vortex into the mist. He hesitated at the stands looking back the way he came. Azrael stood by the door watching him silently, cutting off his escape should he try to run. He turned his gaze to the auditorium, finding an audience watching him. At least there seemed to be an audience. Through the fog he could see ghostly apparitions seated around him fading in and out of sight as if they were both here but not here at once. Jack thought he was hallucinating until he spotted one figure who appeared to be real, sitting apart from the crowd looking down at their own lap rather than at him. As he stared at the figure he noted the grey cloak they wore over their shoulders, the large hood obscuring their face. After a minute the hood rose slightly, catching a glimpse of a pair of eyes looking down at him. Jack wondered if it was real but decided he had bigger things to worry about as he turned away.</p><p>The walk into the mist was long, feeling like miles to Jackson's tired legs as he ventured along the path. And yet when he glanced back he'd only traveled a few feet, pushing onwards until the mists enveloped him completely. His heart was racing in his chest as he struggled to see beyond his nose, cautiously putting one foot in front of the other afraid of stepping off into oblivion. He carried on like this for what seemed like hours until he found himself unable to travel any further, the path ending abruptly. He stood on the edge peering over into the fog, unable to see anything more.</p><p>"Who steps into our court?" A ghastly voice asked echoing around him.</p><p>Jacks spun on the spot trying to find the source, unable to see anything through the mist.</p><p>"A new soul seeking passage to the next life?" Another voice echoes, resounding from all directions.</p><p>"A spirit seeking redemption or punishment?" A third spoke chilling Jack to his bones.</p><p>He whirled around frantically. They sounded like they were everywhere, echoing in his skull. "Who are you?" He shouted into the fog, his voice sounding meek and tiny compared to theirs.</p><p>"You stand in the Court of the Judges, mortal" they explained booming through the fog. "Here your soul is laid bare before us, your every sin exposed to be judged. All your secrets are revealed. You cannot hide from us."</p><p>"We decide your fate" they went on. "Your every thought, every action, every inaction, every emotion determines where your path beyond life will take you."</p><p>"The righteous and worthy are reborn, cast into the Well to be cleansed and returned to the mortal world given new life. Those found wanting and unworthy are cast into the nexus to wander alone for all eternity. And those pure of sin face damnation and eternal punishment in the realms of darkness."</p><p>Jackson listened to them recite the potential fates, coming to understand their role in this. He thought back on his past life and wondered where he might fall, wondered if he was truly as good or as worthy to be granted a peaceful afterlife. He pictured himself as one of the husks making up the Soulless, preying on fresh undead souls to feed on. He shuddered at the thought but couldn't imagine himself getting a second chance.</p><p>"Are you ready to face judgement?" The voices asked him.</p><p>"Do I have a choice?" He replied, resigning himself to whatever fate that awaited him.</p><p>The fog shifted, the mists suddenly moving around him as he was struck by a strong wind. He held himself in place, rooted to the spot worried he might get blown over the side. As the mists encircled his body he looked up to see the giant shadows of three towering statues standing over him, their eyes glowing blue piercing his soul. "Judgement awaits" they said as a bright light engulfed Jackson's vision. He blinked against the glare as images started to flood through the mists around him, flashes of faces and places and feelings shooting before his eyes. He watched them play out and realised they were his memories, his life flashing before him, every fragment on show for all to see.</p><p>He looked up to see a large cluster of fragments, his final moments of his old life, all focusing around a single image. They all featured a stunning, beautiful young blonde woman with an amazing smile.</p><p>
  <em>Kassie.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>8</p><p>"I know it's a little late to ask" Jack asked cautiously, walking beside Kassie seeing her home. "But has Ajay always been that pushy?"</p><p>"About our dating history? Unfortunately. You'll get used to it" she chuckled, referring to the awkward topic of discussion their friend had instigated earlier that afternoon. The grey sky rumbled over their heads indicating a subtle turn in atmosphere. The street was empty in this neighbourhood, only a handful of pedestrians walking to and fro down intersecting roads in a hurry to get inside before it rains. The two of them crossed in front of a school on their way up the street, the lonely and dull buildings forming a line beside them.</p><p>Jackson shrugged, pleasantly amused at Ajay's pursuit in their love lives. "I'm not worried. Nothing I haven't dealt with before. Girlfriends were never really a straightforward topic for me" he confessed, feeling rather sheepish talking about this to the one girl he'd developed true feelings for in his whole life.</p><p>Kassie looked across at him, examining his sombre expression. He wondered if she could read the truth under his façade, torn between hope and fear should she learn what he was hiding. If she could she didn't say anything. He glanced back to see her rubbing her arms to ward of the chill falling over the city, asking if she was cold. "A little" she replied, brushing off the chill objectively. "So you've never dated anyone?"</p><p>"No" he replied averting his gaze. "Never really had the time" he lied. <em>Never met someone like you,</em> he wanted to say.</p><p>They shared a small smile until they reached the front of an apartment complex, the end of their journey. "Well, this is me" Kassie sighed looking up at the glass windows lining the central stairwell above the entrance. She'd moved into a flat here a year ago after living in student accommodation, feeling a need for more independence. It was close to the university and the city centre, making it nearly perfect. Jack liked the place to. It gave him a chance to meet up with her each morning and walk with her to lectures even if it was slightly out of his way. "Thanks for walking be home. You didn't have to."</p><p>"I know" he replied putting his hands in his pockets. The truth was when they parted with the rest of the group he volunteered to see her back to her place, despite being mere feet away from the bus station he needed to get home. He wanted to ensure she got home safe. And he wanted to spend a little more time with her hoping one day he might finally find the courage to be honest about his feelings. "You mean a lot to me and I want to always be there to keep you safe."</p><p>Jack heard the words moments after he spoke them, realising that was the closest he'd ever come to being honest. He stared back at her to see her staring back at him, a warm smile on her lips. "I appreciate it" she said to him, her eyes sparkling like they were stars making his stomach flutter. They stood face to face like that for a long moment, time slowing to a crawl around them as Jack entertained the fantasy of her taking a step forward and rewarding him with a kiss on the cheek. He imagined himself brushing her hair back behind her ear and leaning in to take her lips with his own, fulfilling the one selfish desire he'd wanted ever since he saw her.</p><p>But the fantasy vanished in an instant, leaving only the sad reality of Jack and Kassie standing alone in the street looking at one another until she inevitably walked away. "Well, have a good night Jack" she said over her shoulder.</p><p>"You too" he replied sadly, watching her as she entered the building and waved him goodnight. "Goodnight Kassie" he whispered as he heart broke all over again. <em>Every night was the same. Why should this one be any different?</em> The sky rumbled as if to agree, the first drops of rain falling across the road as Jackson tips his hat down over his eyes and turns away to walk home.</p><p>As he leaves something stirs in the shadows of the building as the young man failing to sense a new set of eyes watching him.</p><p>The quiet streets gave way to bustling roads full of people and cars as Jackson weaved his way through the city centre, the rain beating down on his shoulders with every step. Nobody paid him any heed as he walked in silence, lost in his own world following a well-worn path rooted into his muscle memory. He could walk to and from university blindfolded giving him plenty of time simmering in his own failures. He crossed over into a side street, the crowd dispersing for the busier street ignoring the shortcut. He was halfway down the road when he came to a stop.</p><p>It would usually take more than a clattering sound to halt him in his tracks on a day like this. But something about the way this noise echoed along the alleyway off to his left made him hesitate before moving onward. He looked into the dark passage seeing nothing but brick graffiti stained walls and litter strew across the ground. There was nothing there. Shrugging Jack went to continue walking before he heard another clatter, looking back to witness an aluminium can rolling out of the shadows. "Hello?" he called out taking a few cautionary steps into the alley. His voice was met with silence as he peered into the dark passage, seeing and hearing nothing out of the ordinary. He waited a few seconds for another disturbance, figuring it was just a pigeon or the wind. "Anybody here?" he called again making sure he was alone, satisfied when nobody called back.</p><p><em>Nothing here to scare you Jackson,</em> he told himself with a smirk. <em>As if your life was interesting enough for something like that.</em></p><p>He was about to eat his words as a shadow stepped out of the darkness, creeping up behind him as its eyes burned into his back.</p><p>Jackson sensed the presence at the last moment, spinning back in time to witness the dark shape rushing towards him. A figure dressed in a black hoodie collided with him sending him to the ground. "What the hell!" he cried out hitting the floor, his hat falling off his head rolling out of the alley. "Who the hell are you?" Jack shouted angrily until his saw the knife in the figure's hand, the pointed end slicing through the air towards his face. His hands shot out to grab the arm holding it stopping the blade just above his nose, the menacing glare of the face under the hood fixing on its victim. <em>What is happening?</em> Jack's thoughts yelled as he kicked his assailant away, throwing him to the side with a grunt scrambling to his feet.</p><p>He stood up ready to fight but the figure was just as fast, shoving him against the wall. The knife cut through his shoulder strap dropping his bag to the ground, discarded and forgotten as its owner struggled against the dark stranger trying to kill him. "Help!" he shouted hoping some walking by would hear him. The figure barely glanced for witnesses as he attempted to pierce the boy's torso again. Jack got his arm between them, blocking the knife while his other hand lunged for his throat. For the first time in his life those karate lessons he took as a kid would've been useful if he hadn't forgotten any of the basic moves. As a result his fist glanced off the man's jaw, his fingers catching around a necklace hidden beneath the collar of his jacket. Going back to plan A he pulled his foot up to shove the figure off of him, sending him to the ground as the necklace snapped off in his hand.</p><p>Jack's fist instinctively clenched around the object in his palm when it suddenly turned white hot. He screamed in pain springing his fingers open releasing the scolding metal watching it drop to the floor. As he cradled his wrist looked down to see the round pendant flickering bright orange in a puddle, a pentagon intersected with three lines staring back at him before it faded to black and dissolved in the water. Jackson's bewilderment grew as he looked back at his hand finding the same symbol burned into his skin where he held it.</p><p>"What is going on?" he wondered, gritting his teeth from the pain as he hobbled towards the exit of the alley. He shouted for help once more but nobody was out there to hear him. Especially when the hooded figure sprinted after him and leapt onto his back driving him to the ground. He hit the pavement biting his tongue, his glasses falling off and crashing to the floor. He spun onto his back facing the mugger and threw up his hands in time to block him as he brought the knife down with two fists. He held them up as long as he could, the mugger's body weight pushing down on him. "Please" he pleaded, watching the blade drop further and further as his strength began failing him. He tried to kick at him but the figure straddled his waist pinning him down. He couldn't move his arms. They are the only thing saving him. But eventually the weight was too much to bear and Jack watched as the knife cut into his chest, the pain intense as it pierced his flesh and drove into his heart. Blood bubbled out of the wound with each weakening heartbeat staining his shirt and pooling beneath him, more leaking into his pierced lung as he coughed and sputtered. "Why?" he tried to ask but the figure just stared down at him quietly as if watching an insect under his boot.</p><p>The mugger pulled the knife out after Jack's arms fell uselessly to his sides, dripping with crimson blood as he stood up and left him in the alley to die. Jack tried to call for help but his voice was drowned out and suffocated, his eyes straining to reach for the light at the end of the darkness where a small hand reached down to pluck the boys lost hat off the floor. With his final breath Jack closed his eyes, his final regret not telling Kassie that he loved her.</p><p>That was the day Jackson White died.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>9</p><p>The mists surged with thunder as the judges roared in anger. Jackson was thrown to the floor nearly rolling over the side, gasping for breath blinking away the memories of his death. "IMPOSSIBLE!" their booming voice thundered shaking the cavern. "THIS NOT POSSIBLE!"</p><p><em>What's going on</em>? Jackson asked himself as he crawled back to his feet, staring wildly into the mists. Above him the images flickered through his life, his childhood and school years racing by him mixed with the faces of his parents, his friends, people he'd barely gotten to know. But in the middle of them all a sequence of images flashed in a crackle of lightning. He saw the alley where he bled out, the mugger standing above him. He saw an image of a little girl standing at the entrance of the passage before witnessing the sight of his body being wheeled through a stretching white corridor as dozens of strangers circled him. Jack watched as those masked men hooked him up to several machines, speaking rapidly their voices lost to the mists. "What is this?" he asked aloud staring at the bright images, feeling there was something wrong with them. Like they didn't belong.</p><p>"THIS CANNOT BE!" the judges roared. "THIS IS A SANCTUM OF THE DEAD! WE SENTENCE SOULS TO THEIR FINAL FATE. BUT WE CANNOT JUDGE A SOUL THAT YET LIVES!"</p><p><em>But I am dead</em> Jack was about to cry out until he felt the wound on his chest reopen, pressing his hand against it to find blood seeping through his fingers. In his head he heard a drowning sound ringing in his ears, looking up to find the strangers in the mists moving more hurriedly as one called out for the paddles. He heard their voices in his head and realised he wasn't watching a memory. This was actually happening. The mists dissipated the moment another bolt of electricity ripped through his body, a bellowing cry of pain sending him to his knees as his cauterised wound smouldered blistering his skin. "What's happening to me?"</p><p>Behind him the Angel of Death sprinted into the chamber to witness the boy slumped on the floor, a fierce stare burning into his back holding tightly to the sword on his hip. "Impossible" he whispered. In the stalls above him the cloaked figure rose in their seat watching the ordeal curiously.</p><p>"NO LIVING SOUL CAN PASS THROUGH THE VEIL INTO THE LAND OF THE DEAD" the judges roared. "WHICH MEANS YOU WERE SENT HERE. EXPLAIN YOURSELF REMNANT!"</p><p>"I don't know…" Jack stammered gasping for breath, looking up to see three giant statues with blazing blue eyes glaring back down at him. Their stone faces looked grim, their cold expressions highlighting the menacing fury behind the fiery orbs. He saw the carved armours and cloaks and the smooth crowns sculpted into their skulls, the image of the three kings coming to mind as he trembled under their gaze. "I don't understand" he said frightened. "I died. I know I died. What's happening to me?"</p><p>"IT IS NO LONGER OF ANY CONSEQUENCE" the voices of the Judges boomed. "WITHOUT THE REAPER PATROLING OUR BORDERS WE DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO INVESTIGATE REMNANTS LIKE YOU. HOWEVER, WE CANNOT RICK THE POTENTIAL LINK TO A GREATER THREAT. ACTION MUST BE TAKEN NOW!"</p><p>Jack felt an ice cold chill run down his spine as the mists swirled around the cavern, coagulating behind him into two glowing portals where a pair of tall lanky creatures emerged. He turned back to see two black dog-like beasts growling back at him, old bandages wrapped loosely around their bodies as if they were once mummified. Their glowing blue eyes glared in his direction as they barked, the sound startling as Jack's panicked gaze fell upon the glistening silver collars around their necks housing an Egyptian tag. His brain clicked and he realised he'd just found out where the myth of the Jackal-headed God Anubis came from. "Azrael?" he called out looking past the snarling beasts creeping towards him. He looked to the scowling angel seeing no hint of assistance from him. He was there to stop his escape, not to rescue him. "Please! Don't do this!"</p><p>"IF WE CANNOT JUDGE YOU THERE IS ONLY ONE OPTION LEFT FOR US" the judges announced around him. "BY THE VESTED POWER OF THE WELL OF SOULS WE SENTENCE YOU, JACKSON WHITE, TO OBLIVION! YOUR SOUL, YOUR SPIRIT AND YOUR ESSENSE WILL CEASE TO EXIST!"</p><p>The jackals snapped at the mortal, forcing him back towards the end of the path where a bolt of light ignited a swirling vortex beneath them, opening a black hole dropping into nothingness. Jackson slipped on the edge, sending debris into the void where they vanished out of existence. "No, wait!" he pleaded trapped between oblivion and the beasts looking up to the judges desperately. "There has to be another way! I'm not what you think I am! I don't know why I'm here!"</p><p>"OUR JUDGEMENT IS FINAL" they replied coldly. "OBLIVION AWAITS!"</p><p>The young undead boy spun between the oncoming monsters and the endless void, terrified and scared beyond anything he'd ever felt before. He looked down at his palm at the burn mark in his skin, wishing he knew how to throw fire like he did with the Soulless and make a break for it. But when he held his hand out all he received was a snarl and a bark.</p><p>"No, wait! Stop this!" a voice cut through the growls, catching Jack's attention as the figure in the cloak sprinted down to the floor racing in his direction. Azrael stepped in front of them putting an arm across their chest hissing "Stay out of this! We can't interfere!" The hooded figure fought against him, arguing insistently. Jack peered between the hounds to see the cloaked figure was a few feet shorter than the angel and could barely hear her feminine voice screaming at him. But despite her attempts to help she couldn't reach the mortal, her bright blue eyes briefly finding his before she was dragged away.</p><p>"Please" Jack whimpered, tears in his eyes knowing this was the end of him once more as the Jackals closed in. The black hole roared beneath his feet ready to swallow him whole and erase his existence while the judges watched silently. He closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>No!</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>The word was carried by a bellowing hurricane, arriving out of thin air around him and erupting in a blinding light. The black hole vanished as the whirlpool below erupted, shielding the mortal as the high winds tore through the barking Jackals ripping them apart. The orbs of light in the three statues went out as they two figures at the edge of the cavern covered their faces trying to avoid the onslaught. Jack covered his ears as the roar of the hurricane deafened him, risking a peek into the light glimpsing the image of a little girl hovering over him.</p><p>Just as quickly as it formed the storm disappeared, leaving only silence as the cavern settled to an uneasy calm. He opened his eyes to find the beasts gone, two sets of dust particles floating in their place. He looked around trying to get his bearings, the black hole below him gone. On the other side of the cavern Azrael stared back at him, an uneasy look in his eye as he scowled. <em>What's happening to me?</em> Jackson asked quietly before he was suddenly swept up in a wave of exhaustion, his eyelids becoming heavy as he lost his balance, toppling over the edge into the vortex below. He plummeted down into the abyss engulfed in mist and light, passing out moments before he disappeared.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Fear not Jackson White, for your time is not yet over.</strong>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>10</p><p>Rosetta Taylor was the first EMT on the scene, arriving at 6:24pm.</p><p>At 11:58pm the previous week she watched a 17 year old boy die in her arms from a drug overdose. She was attempting resuscitation after being called to the scene of a disturbance. The officers on scene caught the young man attempting to break into a pharmacy, high on a new substance that's been appearing on the street corners. More addictive than heroine with double to number of casualties in the past month. He collapsed to the floor while the officers were restraining him, calling for an ambulance after he started vomiting uncontrollably. Taylor arrived in the ambulance with her partner and attempted to stabilise him when his heart stopped. That was the first time Taylor watched somebody die.</p><p>She'd been on the job for almost two months, qualifying for her degree in paramedic science three weeks prior to that. She'd volunteered for charities and fundraisers and helped wherever she could, her goal to help people after losing her mother to breast cancer. She wanted to be on the front lines saving lives, her wish fulfilled when she got approved to become a fully qualified EMT. She'd assisted in stabbings, vehicle collisions, drunken brawls, treated victims of a fire in an apartment block, but this was her first death of duty.</p><p>They gave her a few days leave, understanding she was shaken by the ordeal. She didn't want to leave but her hands wouldn't stop shaking. When she went to bed at night her dreams were filled with the boy's face staring back at her lifeless. She attended support meetings which helped her understand she did everything she could, it just wasn't enough. The day Jackson White would walk into that alley was the day she came back to work, changing into her uniform and climbing into the passenger seat of the ambulance. Her partner was waiting for her, asking her how she was feeling. She was better, more confident. Her hands were steady as they set out to do their job. Their first incident was straightforward and no emergency treatment was necessary. Just a stupid fight and a few scratches. <em>A quiet shift</em> she told herself.</p><p>Jackson was stabbed at precisely 6:07pm. It took him three minutes to bleed out.</p><p>At the exact moment he died emergency services received a call. The woman on the other end answered to hear the voice of a little girl speaking to her. She looked down at her script even though she'd been working at the call centre for 12 years, preparing to talk the scared voice through the situation and gather all the information necessary. Yet she was caught completely off guard at how clear and confident this tiny voice spoke back. "There's been a stabbing. Please hurry. He needs help." The call hung up after giving the address, leaving the woman dumbfounded as she quickly relayed the information.</p><p>At 6:11pm Taylor's radio cackled from the call. It turns out they were the closest responders, the sirens flaring on as they sped through the streets towards their destination. It took over ten minutes for the ambulance to push its way past the heavy traffic, the grey skies rumbling overhead as they finally found the side road specified from the call. Taylor had her boots on the ground on the strike of 6:24pm, seconds before the brakes fully engaged, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she sprinted into the alley.</p><p>Her eyes found the body almost immediately, her knees turning to jelly as she saw the pool of blood lying beneath it. She throat went dry as the nightmares of the young man who overdoes briefly flashed through her mind juxtaposing on top of the body. "No!" she whispered falling to her knees beside him to examine the injuries. She found the stab wound bleeding in his chest, pressing her palms to the wound trying to stop the bleeding before checking the man's neck for a pulse. "No!" she squeaked unable to find one. The overdose victim found her again, making her heart race as a voice whispered in her ear telling her she's a failure. "No, not again" she told herself, whipping open her bag looking for a gauze and rags to press against the stab wound. "Bring the paddles! Hurry" she screamed back to her partner who was just now climbing out of the ambulance.</p><p>He hears her an immediately follows her lead, running around to the back to collect the equipment. When he joins her at the body she's applying chest compressions and mouth to mouth trying to revive him. He places the paddles down next to her and examines the boy, seeing the situation for how dire it is. "It's too late" he told her, seeing the frantic look in her expression as she rushed through the CPR. "Taylor! He's gone!"</p><p>She ignored him grabbing for the paddles, ripping open the boy's shirt while charging the metal pads. She kept hearing the 17 year old boy's strangled voice chastising her in her head, her heart pounding in her chest. "Not again" she muttered shoving her partners hand away when he tried to pull her away, rubbing the paddles together hearing the sharp whine indicating full charge.</p><p>At the entrance of the alley a little girl, approximately 8 years old, peered around the corner watching the hectic series of events. Her dress was plain as she stood bare foot in the rain, her white hair falling over her shoulders as her big round eyes looked across to the paramedics. She heard Taylor scream "CLEAR!" as she pressed the paddles to Jackson's chest, her blue eyes flashing white just as the electric current shot through the body. The bolt ignited with a spark of energy sending a pulse through the air around him. Every bulb in the block exploded from the surge, every electrical device shorting while glass shattered in the windows. The paramedics covered their heads as an overhead flood light burst and the air crackled in front of them. Taylor's partner spun around staring at the bulb, bewildered at what just happened. Taylor barely noticed, fearing the paddles had overloaded and done irreparable damage to the boy. Carefully pressing two fingers to his neck she prayed before crying out "I have a pulse!"</p><p>"You're kidding!" her partner replied surprised, falling in beside her. When he confirmed it she grabbed his radio to call the situation in. For a second the speaker was dead before it suddenly crackled to life, along with the ambulance. They called the hospital and hurriedly followed procedure to carry the unconscious but critical young man into the back, glancing around at the shattered and blacked out buildings around them as people ran out to complain that all their electricity was fried.</p><p>The little girl stayed out of sight watching the ambulance leave at 6:37pm, her blue eyes staying on the paramedics as they carried Jackson away. She cast a glance over the alley and the street, listening to the civilians grumble and argue unaware that she was responsible for the blackout and for restoring the power to the ambulance so they could leave. The police arrived at 6:39pm, cordoning off the street and taking statements while cataloguing the crime scene, picking up a pair of glasses which they'll soon deduce belonged to the victim logging them into evidence. What they wouldn't find is the hat he was wearing on the day.</p><p>Halfway across the city the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, the doctors running out to meet the paramedics and take custody of the patient. Taylor followed the trolley down the brightly lit hallways, briefing the staff on the boy's condition before they took him into the operating room, leaving her waiting outside. Her partner left her a minute later to fill out the paperwork so she could sit down on a nearby chair and wait for news. They commenced surgery at 6:54pm and would continue well into the night. Taylor was quiet sitting by herself, the voice whispering in her ear gone along with the image of the young overdose. She refused to allow herself to relax however, afraid of losing another patient. She heard nurses shouting down the hall, looking up to see people rushing into the operating theatre. At 7:27pm Jackson White flat-lined on the table.</p><p>"Don't worry" a tiny voice told Taylor as she stared down the hall. She turned back to find the 8 year old girl sitting beside her in her plain white dress, her big round eyes looking up warmly at her. She blinked in surprise seeing the child, looking up and down the corridor trying to find her parents. But they were alone. She turned back to the kid noting how pale her skin was. As if she was a ghost. "He'll be okay" she told the paramedic, her smile innocent and confident. "You saved him." Taylor wasn't sure what to say, glancing down the hall to the operating theatre. <em>Is this girl his sister or something?</em> She wondered, still unsure where the child came from. "I'm sorry about Justin, but you did everything you could" the tiny voice told her.</p><p>"How did you…?" Taylor whirled around only to find the girl had vanished, searching the hall trying to find her. She fell against the wall as tears suddenly flooded from her eyes. Ever since the boy died last week the only thing that Taylor had wanted to know was his name. He never gave it and the police wouldn't tell her. That nameless boy had haunted her dreams for a week, but now somehow she had her answer lifting a weight from her chest. "I'm sorry Justin" she said quietly, sinking to her knees weeping in the middle of the hall.</p><p>At 7:38pm the surgeons finally stabilized Jackson, bringing him back from death using the same method Taylor had implemented earlier, calling it a miracle he pulled through due to the severe damage to his heart. As the staff did their job and continued to operate, repairing the damaged organs and tissue trying to save his life, the little girl walked up to the unconscious body carrying his lost hat. Unseen by anyone in the room the white haired child looked down at the young man, brushing a finger across his face silently admiring him. "Fear not Jackson White" she said encouragingly, her voice carrying over to the other side to be heard by the boy as he toppled over the edge into the Well of Souls. "For your time is not yet over."</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>11</p><p>It was a long walk for the armoured soldier to climb up to the dimly lit throne room deep within the fortress. His dark silver plated armour clicked with each step echoing around the vast corridors, the ceiling lost in the darkness over fifty feet over his head. He crossed through the massive iron doors emblazoned with the Dark Lord's visage, his black eyes looking down upon visitors disapprovingly. Inside the throne room the ash black walls tower hundreds of feet high, the shadows covering the floor like a blanket. Shrouded in darkness the great throne sat in the centre of the room, surrounded by five glowing orange grates representing the five faces of the Destroyer. These grates act as vents leading to the magma core of this realm, smoke and ash rising up into the chamber filling the space with a choking fog that would choke the oxygen out of a mortal's lungs. Fortunately the inhabitants of this land suffered no such affects from the toxic atmosphere, nor did the soldier stepping into the chamber struggle to see through the darkness. The only light in the fortress came from the vents barely illuminating the space.</p><p>The soldier stepped forward onto the nearest grate, his armour and scales glinting in the orange glow as he knelt down before the shadowy throne. His thick skinned knuckles blistered coming in contact with the scolding hot metal. The demon barely noticed as he lowered his gaze respectfully. "You summoned me my Lord?"</p><p>"The hour is soon at hand" the deep rumbling voice of his master spoke. In the shadows a looming shape sat perched upon the throne gazing down at its loyal subject with its blazing red eyes. It breathed a puff of smoke out of inflamed nostrils, shifting its weight as large wings ruffled their feathers, a giant tail circling around its hind. "Is your agent prepared for what is to come?" the Dark Lord asked looking down on the small figure kneeling before him.</p><p>"He has proven himself by making the sacrifice" the soldier reported. "The blade has been stained with the blood of his own kind and can now open the gateway your vanguard. Whoever you decide to venture across the veil will be able to prepare him for your arrival. He is ready for his ascension."</p><p>His master narrowed his eyes in doubt. "You trust he will do as is required?"</p><p>The demon rose his orange eyes up, risking the Dark Lord's wrath to lock onto his fierce gaze assuring him "The mortal holds conviction unlike any of his kin. His hate runs deeper than blood, stronger than anything the mortal world can offer. He <em>will</em> open the way for your victory Lord Marchosias."</p><p>Marchosias released a jet of smoke from his snout, his fur ruffling as a satisfied chuckle rumbled from his throat. "See that it does" he replied, leaning forward to lock eyes with his brave general, the imposing face of a giant she-wolf materialising out of the shadows. "With the Reaper indisposed this window of opportunity will not rise again" he warned. "If this mortal is worthy of ascending to our ranks, <em>you</em> will prepare him personally."</p><p>The general's lips curled into a smile as he lowered his gaze, bowing his head to the generous monster honoured to serve as his Vanguard.</p><p>Many worlds away another dark corridor lead the path to an altar. This alter was made from a chest of drawers lined with bird skulls and artefacts scavenged over the last year, two tall candles illuminating the surface. Upon the alter sat a clay bowl filled with herbs, dust and special ingredients gathered all over the city from a specific shopping list given. This alter sat at the end of a long hall underneath a large portrait of a creature, a creature very important to the owner.</p><p>The hooded figure walked slowly down the corridor, cradling the blood stained knife in his hands. The blade was also special and had taken him many weeks to find, stumbling upon it at a museum that refused to part with it willingly. He had to break in at the dead of night and steal the artefact, but the rewards would be worth it. He would sacrifice anything. He approached the alter confidently, lowering the knife into the bowl carefully as the still fresh crimson liquid coated the ingredients. He placed both his palms on the chest of drawers, positioning them either side of the symbol carved into the wood underneath the bowl. He engraved the alter with the sigil of his master months ago, cutting open his own hand to mark the wood as a demonstration of his servitude and loyalty. He felt the power behind the markings call to him, telling him to take the match and drop the flame into the bowl.</p><p>"Accept my offering" he spoke quietly, the orange flames glowing red engulfing the weapon within burning away the blood and baptising the hooded figure in choking thick smoke. He inhaled the fumes willingly, pushing past the pain as they burned his lungs and letting the power course through his system. "I am ready" he declared, raising his hands and looking up at the portrait of the griffin winged she-wolf with its serpent tail bellowing fire, it's blazing red eyes glaring back at its loyal servant.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>12</p><p>There was silence as Jackson tried to open his eyes, the whole world muted around him lost in the dark abyss. It felt like he was floating, drifting endlessly down a deep void. He couldn't tell which way was up. He couldn't tell how long he'd been there. He barely remembered his own name. As his heavy eyelids drifted closed he witnessed a shape forming out of the silent space, reaching out to him before everything faded to black.</p><p>"It has to be you<em>,</em>" he heard a quiet voice whisper. "It's the only explanation."</p><p>When Jackson's eyes opened again he found himself once more in unfamiliar surroundings, a strong light from a nearby window blinding him as he awoke from his slumber. Casting his gaze around the room he found the walls covered in posters, showcasing various different genres as if the owner couldn't make up their mind what they enjoyed. He recalled his sister's room looked something like this until she settled on anime. Whoever this person was had posters for boy bands, films, cultural events, all from different points of the world. Prying his gaze away he examined the rest of the room, seeing a large bookshelf against the wall next to a big fireplace, a comfortable looking sofa sitting next to it in front of a small coffee table, a giant carpet laid across the floor. He wasn't an interior designer but the living space looked very cosy despite the furniture not matching each other, as if it was picked out one item at a time. Several desks dotted around the edges bridging the living space with the sleeping quarters he was currently in. A large wardrobe opposite him sat next to a giant mirror, a dressing table against the wall, a nightstand beside the queen sized bed with a lamp dimly lit upon it.</p><p>"Ow, again?" he groaned, finally getting feeling to his body as he awoke completely. His gaze fell upon a small figure sitting on the edge of the bed, their back to him quietly muttering to themselves. This figure turned in his direction, a flash of blonde hair catching his eye making him think of Kassie. But when he went to get up the figure jumped over easing him back to the mattress before his mind started spinning. He looked up to see a pretty young woman looking back at him, her short blonde hair glinting in the pale light from the window. Her big blue eyes stared down at the drowsy young man, sparkling with curiosity.</p><p><em>She's not Kassie</em> was the first thought Jackson could form staring back at this kind stranger.</p><p>"You okay?" she asked, her voice quiet and nervous. He groaned in response pushing himself up again, only for the girl to hold him down. "Easy. You should rest."</p><p>"I can rest when I'm…" Jack started to say before stalling, looking back at her. "I'm still dead right?"</p><p>She hesitated, an uncertain expression falling across her face wondering how to answer. "That's… I think so. But the Judges… It's complicated."</p><p><em>Complicated?</em> He pushed past the discomfort and dizziness so he could sit up on the bed under the worrying gaze of his new keeper nursing a headache. "I remember dying in an alley, nearly dying on the way here, then nearly getting thrown into a black hole" he complained. "What happened?" he asked looking back at the girl getting a proper look at her. She sat on the edge of the bed, her feet pulled under her as a pale grey cloak hung over her shoulders. He looked over the fabric, noting the round brass clasp holding it together sporting an insignia of a pair of wings. Beneath the cloak he glimpsed a form fitting outfit, light brown leather bracers and boots and a grey skirt, a leather shoulder guard covering a grey shirt that seemed to compliment her figure beautifully. "You were there" he realised after taking in the sight of the young girl. "Who are you?"</p><p>"I was" she replied. "My name's Freya."</p><p>"What happened?"</p><p>"I was hoping you could tell me" she said.</p><p>Before Jack could ask any questions they were interrupted by the bellowing from the hallway outside. Freya froze as she turned to look at the door, which suddenly shook as something pounded against it. "FREYA! GET OUT HERE NOW!" the booming voice of Azrael roared.</p><p>"Oh no" she gulped bolting to her feet. Her skin was pale as she darted to the door, nervously hesitating before it as the wood shuddered under the Angel of Death's brutal knocking. "He's not in a good mood" she said shakily, glancing back as Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed. "You should hide" she told him.</p><p>He quickly looked around confused. "What? Why?"</p><p>"If he finds you here with me he'll know I pulled you out of the Well. And I'm already in enough trouble as it is" she explained, speaking so fast Jack struggled to understand. "And right now you are the last person he'll want to…"</p><p>"FREYA!" Azrael shouted, the door shaking violently on the verge of splintering. "OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!"</p><p>"If he knocks any harder he's going to break the door down" Jack commented.</p><p>Freya stood hesitantly know full well he would do just that, stepping tepidly to take hold of the handle and unlock the latch. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder quietly urging him to stay quiet as she slowly pulled the door open a crack. She was met with the towering figure of Azrael glaring down at her through the crack. "Hey" she greeted meekly forcing a smile, trying to hide her trembling hands out of sight. "I was just getting changed. Um…is there anything I can…"</p><p>"Where is he?" Azrael growled, pushing the door open and barging past the young girl in his way. The fierce warrior stormed into the room and immediately locked his eyes on the mortal sitting on her bed. "I knew there's was something going on!" he roared barrelling towards him.</p><p>Jack leapt to his feet backing away from the angry man, fumbling with his words. "Whoa, take it easy mate."</p><p>"I'M NOT YOUR MATE, BOY!" he snapped, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck throwing him back against the wall. The room shook from the impact knocking the wind out of Jackson's lungs, Azrael's fists holding tightly to the boy's shirt on the verge of choking him. "Now who are you? How did you come to be here? Talk!"</p><p>"Azrael, wait!" Freya called to him running to his side. Her eyes were wide as she attempted to pull on his arm and free the boy. "Please listen to me!"</p><p>"STAY OUT OF THIS!" he snapped at her, the edge in his voice driving her away and turning her even more pale. Even Jackson sharply inhaled sensing the terrifying fury bubbling in the man's expression. "You were told not to interfere" he growled at the girl fixing his gaze down on her. "Now for once in your life do as you're told." Jack looked across at the blonde girl and saw the uncertainty in her face. She opened her mouth to say something but Azrael's glare silenced her, leaving her silently cowering a few feet away scared to step forward again. "Now you" he snarled turning back to the boy in his hands. "Answer the questions. Who are you? How did you come here?"</p><p>"I died" he quickly answered struggling against the hold, kicking out at the warrior. He didn't know what was going on but he was losing the ability to breath properly the longer he was pinned here. "You know who I am and how I died. Now what the hell is going on?"</p><p>"I'm asking the questions! Now who sent you?"</p><p>"I don't know what you're talking about!" he shouted in his face.</p><p>"Azrael, please" Freya tried to say, the man's sharp growl hushing her once more.</p><p>"The Judges couldn't sentence your soul because you are still tied to the living realm" Azrael quietly explained, his eyes glaring at the boys watching for a reaction. "No living soul can pass through the veil into Limbo and my wraiths assure me you were dead when you arrived! But remnants aren't created out of thin air. So who sent you? Are you an agent of the damned, here to finish the job your associates started when they attacked Death itself? Or are you a distraction? ANSWER ME!"</p><p>Jack couldn't understand what he was talking about, his brain in a tailspin due to the loss of oxygen. <em>Death itself? Distraction? Remnant? What's he on about?</em> When the angel's hands tightened around his throat Freya finally found the courage to run over and push an arm between them. "Stop!" he cried to the burly man. "He's not a threat to any of us!"</p><p>"You don't know that" he replied keeping his gaze fixed on the boy. "You're just a child. What could you know about protecting the Well? You need to learn that even the most dangerous can appear harmless."</p><p>"If he is so dangerous then why did the Well <em>save</em> him?" she countered. "The Judges sentenced him to Oblivion but he was spared. You told me the Well of Souls hasn't intervened like that in centuries. There must be a reason why it would now." She glanced across to the boy before lowering her voice. "He might've been chosen to replace Marcus."</p><p>That last statement caught Azrael's attention, his face pulling away from the boy to glance back at the girl narrowing his eyes. A moment of silence passed between the two of them, an unspoken conversation hanging in the air before he looked back at Jackson's panicked blue face. He examined the mortal in his grasp and scowled. "No. He's not. He's nothing like what we'd need. You need to let this go kid" he said quietly turning back to the girl.</p><p>She held his gaze with a formidable determination, through Jack could sense her knees trembling beside him. "I trust him" she said staring at the intimidating warrior.</p><p>He looked down at the young girl, looking between her and the boy before deciding to release him. "Fine" he growled watching Jackson fall to his knees gasping for breath. "But this isn't over. Fortunately for you I have to attend to some security matters and ensure no more potential enemies are waiting for us. But when I return, you <em>will</em> talk." He spun back to the girl towering over her. "Don't make me regret this show of mercy" he warned her.</p><p>She physically shivered under Azrael's gaze, watching the large man storm out of her room leaving her alone with the mortal she'd stuck her neck out for. She crouched down and helped him back to the bed, waiting for him to steady his breathing before asking "Are you alright?"</p><p>"No" he replied honestly. He looked up at the blonde, doubled over as his lungs burned gulping in air. "What the hell was he on about? Who did he think I was?"</p><p>"Someone dangerous" she replied. "But he always overreacts to remnants."</p><p>"What's a remnant?" he asked. He'd been called that twice since the judge's chamber.</p><p>She paused wondering how to explain it, glancing out to the hallway before facing him. "When a soul is severed from the body after they die they pass through into the nexus, where they go forward into the afterlife after being judged but the court. But if a soul is reconnected to their living form on the other side they usually snap back to their body. It's why your kind experiences what you call "near-death", visions of the afterlife are really you stepping beyond the veil. But sometimes… Sometimes a soul reconnects but doesn't snap back. They become living remnants trapped in the afterlife."</p><p>Jack sat up listening to the girl intently, the pieces starting to fit together. "Are you saying I'm actually <em>alive</em>?" he asked hopefully.</p><p>"Technically" she nodded. "But remnants are dangerous. The living and the dead aren't supposed to coexist in the same space like you do. The two forces have a balance because they're incompatible, like water and oil. But actually more like matter and antimatter. The astral energy feeding through you from the living world is toxic here, corrosive to most cosmic elements in the nexus. It's why the Soulless couldn't feed on you or why the judges couldn't judge you. It's why they tried to erase you from existence. You just…"</p><p>"Don't belong" he finished sinking lower in his seat. He felt his heart grow heavy, unable to comprehend why but it felt familiar. He released a deep breath taking it all in, overwhelmed at everything that'd happened over the last few hours. Beside him Freya sat next to him letting him have a moment. "If I'm so dangerous" he said quietly looking back at the young girl next to him. "Why did you help me just now? And what did he mean when he said you weren't supposed to interfere?"</p><p>Freya hesitated before answering. "I'm the one who pulled you out of the Well. When the judges pass judgement no one is supposed to stand in their way. But after you fell into over the edge into the vortex I just… I had to believe there was a reason you were spared so I pulled you out and brought you here."</p><p>"But why?" he pushed. He didn't understand any of this and needed to understand, but it was clear she was reluctant to tell him. <em>Was she lying when she said she trusted me?</em> "Who's Marcus?" he asked her.</p><p>The name made her freeze as a grim expression fell over her face, proving his theory was correct as she quickly stood up and walked to the door. "I promise I'll explain everything" she told him, turning back as she reached the hallway. "You should get some rest. I need to go talk Azrael down. If he comes back he'll want to interrogate you and it's just… Believe me, you'd rather be questioned when he's in a good mood. I'll be back, I swear."</p><p>Jackson watched as the young girl disappeared out of the room, closing the door behind her. He contemplated running after her but his body suddenly grew weak as exhaustion hit him. Sighing in frustration he fell back onto the bed deciding to take her up on the offer to rest in peace.</p><p>Outside the room Freya paused at the door, a guilty knot in her stomach as she brought her hand up and traced a series of lines across the wood. Her magic sparkled at her fingertips as she overlaid the symbols across the threshold, locking the remnant within with a barrier. Her door only locked one way and this was the only way to keep him trapped in the room. It wasn't that she thought he was dangerous, but she understood the risk of letting him walk freely around the fortress. "I'm sorry" she apologised to him, her voice unheard as she walked down the hall seeking somebody to help her work out what to do next.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>13</p><p>"…some will argue the process of adapting symbolism into artwork has been a consistent practice since before the seventeenth century. Artists such as…"</p><p>The lecture continued on like an insistent drone across all the attendants, drowning all the usual hustle and conversation into a haze of exhaustion that would put many to sleep. The auditorium was at half capacity, the seats filled with students of both Illustration and Graphic Design alongside a scattering of tutors and other staff members. The Guest speaker stood at the head of the room atop a podium with a giant projector displaying a slideshow, which nobody was really reading. The lecture was three hours long and they were currently an hour and sixteen minutes into it.</p><p>"Is anyone else finding this boring?" Ajay whispered to his friends, lounging in his seat on the verge of consciousness. He was met with a swift series of shushes from everyone who was concentrating on the lecture. He hated being stuck in a room full of nerds. "How many times do we have to listen to this stuff?" he moaned.</p><p>"I find it very interesting" Dani said hushing him, focusing on her notes.</p><p>"History is important, so you should pay a little more attention" Daniel told him. He sat next to Dani, who sat between him and Kadin at the end of their row. Ajay was seated behind them next to Kassie, who was equally engrossed with the lecture.</p><p>Ajay sighed heavily slumping in his chair. "But do we have to spend three hours talking about it?" he complained.</p><p>"Just go back to sleep if it's bothering you so much" Dani retorted rolling her eyes, leaving the young man to close his eyes and drift off again.</p><p>Beside her Kadin was looking around the room, counting the heads of all the students in the room. "Is it just me or are the animators a little light in this session?" he quietly asked realising no one from the third course was attending the lecture.</p><p>Kassie heard the question and looked up, seeing that he was right. She'd been so focused on her work that she didn't even realise that Jackson was missing from their little group. "That's odd" she whispered scanning the room. Jack was usually the one constant in regards to punctuality, always on time unless something drastic happens. The more she thought about it she suddenly realised she hadn't seen him all day. If he had lectures or tutorials the same day as her he would always arrive early to meet her outside her building and walk her to university. Today however she was joined simply by Ajay and didn't think to ask where Jack was. She just assumed he was already here.</p><p>"Maybe those guys are doing something else today" Daniel offered dismissing the topic. "A task or tutorial or something."</p><p>"Lucky them" Ajay mumbled.</p><p>Kassie would've accepted the logic but she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling something was wrong. "Wouldn't Jack have said something if there was something else happening?" she asked the group. They all shrugged. "Did anyone see him today?"</p><p>"I just assumed he was already here" Dani replied looking over her shoulder.</p><p>"Aw, are we missing him already?" Ajay chuckled shuffling closer to the blonde girl. He taunted her with kissing noises while she ignored his jibes. "Relax, I'm sure your boyfriend is fine. Probably had to split off at the last minute and forgot to tell you." Kassie hated it when Ajay teased her as if her and Jack were a couple. But right now she was too worried to chastise him about it. She sat back in her seat hoping everything would be okay.</p><p>An hour and a half later the five of them were walking out of the lecture hall with the rest of the auditorium. Ajay lead the way breathing in the clean air. "One more week and I can forget all this art history" he sighed.</p><p>"Until they ask for your essay" Kadin said ruining Ajay's proud moment.</p><p>"Enjoy it while it lasts I say" Daniel chuckled next to him.</p><p>Behind them the girls followed quietly listening to the exchange. Dani was organising her shoulder bag sliding her notebook next to her text books and library books, which she needed to return before the end of the day. Kassie however was still distracted. As they left the auditorium she spotted several of the animation students hanging out in the café area but still couldn't see Jackson anywhere.</p><p>The unsettling knot in her stomach returned as she scanned the room looking for him until she broke away from the group to approach a couple of the students she recognised. "Excuse me" she said politely walking up to a trio of friends; a black haired mixed race man nearly six feet tall, a raven haired young woman two thirds his size and a blonde wearing a little too much make up. They all turned to greet her as she joined them. "I thought you guys had the lecture with us today?"</p><p>"We did" the blonde told her. "But we got an email this morning asking us to go upstairs instead."</p><p>"Um, guys" the large guy whispered nodding his head over his shoulder. "I think the creep is staring at us again."</p><p>The raven haired girl glanced over to find the hooded figure of Zachery Helmsley standing near the reception, holding tightly to a pile of books looking in their direction. Kassie briefly followed her gaze seeing him, feeling suddenly unsettled as his good eye pierced through her. "I think he's staring at you" the raven girl whispered to her.</p><p>Kassie turned away trying to ignore him yet could still feel his gaze on her. She couldn't imagine why Zac would be looking at her like that. She only tried to engage with him a few times since she arrived at the university two years ago. He was part of the group workshops they were all a part of and she was paired with him on the first group project. He was quiet and shy but she thought she could maybe get to know him, her process of making friends in this new environment. But after an hour of trying to break through his shell he suddenly turned hostile, becoming rather frightening. The tutor talked him down and he stormed off leaving her rather shaken. It was Jackson White who came over to check if she was okay that day, the first time they spoke to each other. She considered it the day they became friends even though they didn't interact properly until he pulled her name out of that hat. As for Zac she tried to talk to him a few times after, only to get the cold shoulder and a few unsavoury words. Eventually she just gave up, though a few of her friends often attempted to converse with him. Ajay nearly got his head torn off after a few jokes. Dani steered clear after one of his temper tantrums. Daniel tried to keep the peace but opted not to get involved. Jackson was the only one to just talk to him as if they were already friends, managing to at least hold a conversation with him. But even he wasn't immune to Zac's hostility, just like yesterday when she was returning down the stairs with the others to find Zac pushing Jack across the café. She ran across afraid he was hurt, still wondering why Zac was so angry all the time.</p><p>"So, how was the lecture" the blonde girl asked her, ignoring the lurking graphic designer and focusing on the conversation.</p><p>"Oh, it was fine" she replied as Ajay suddenly materialised beside her. "There you are" he greeted wrapping an arm around her. "You ditch us for a new group of friends? I thought this was Jack's posse?"</p><p>"So why did they need you upstairs?" Kassie asked the animators, gently pushing Ajay back to give her space.</p><p>The guy shrugged. "Two men from the police wanted to ask us all questions about what happened last night."</p><p>"Wait, what happened last night?" Ajay asked, his eyebrows raised showing his peaked interest.</p><p>"One of us got stabbed in the city last night. Apparently the person who did it is still at large so they wanted to know what we knew about it. So cool right?" The man was grinning so much the girls had to elbow him roughly, disgusted by how inappropriate he was being.</p><p>"Damn. And I had to sleep through history? Why don't I get to be questioned by the police?" Ajay moaned before turning to Kassie. "By the way, I was sent to get you" he explained pointed over his shoulder. Kassie looked across and saw their student rep Alicia talking with the others along with the head of the animation course. "Apparently there's somebody here who needs to speak to the five of us specifically, so I was nominated to pull you away from this conversation. Which by the way, I don't mind. But could you maybe next time tell us you were leaving the group. Kadin got worried you were kidnapped."</p><p>"Hey, you were in the city yesterday right?" The mixed race guy said beaming. "Maybe the police want to talk to you, see if you're a witness."</p><p>Ajay's eyes widened, breaking into a smile. "Oh that would be awesome!"</p><p>"Cal!" The blonde hushed them. But Kassie was barely listening. "It's fine. So was Jack upstairs with you? I just thought if he wasn't in the lecture he would be with you then."</p><p>There was a sudden hush as a blanket of silence fell over the three animators, a hesitant glance darting between them that tightened the knot in Kassie's gut. The large man, Cal, wavered as he looked back at the young woman. "Wait, you haven't heard?"</p><p>She looked at them each in turn. "Heard what?"</p><p>"Kassie!" Danielle's voice broke through the still air grabbing their attention. The group turned to see her standing a few feet away quietly signalling for her and Ajay to join them, a grave expression on her face. They looked past her and saw similar looks on the others as they waited for them.</p><p>"Am I missing something here?" Ajay asked, trotting over to where Alicia took his aside to speak in hushed voices. Kassie was reluctant to follow, watching the boy's expression change from curious ignorance to shock and dismay before finishing on despair as he glanced in her direction.</p><p>She swallowed her fear and turned back to the animators, demanding to know what was going on. "Where's Jack? Is he in trouble?"</p><p>The group were silent until the blonde took Kassie's hands, seeing how unsettled she was and quietly explained. "Jack's in hospital. That's why they wanted to talk to us this morning. He was the one who was stabbed last night."</p><p>Kassie recoiled from the news, unable to believe them even as her friends came to her side trying to comfort her. Across the floor Zac carefully snuck away with a disgusted scowl disappearing into the crowd. All Kassie could think or feel was dread and thought of Jackson lying in the hospital, lying in the alley where he was attacked. She thought about the last thing she said to him, the last time she saw him, and feared she wouldn't see him again.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>14</p><p>Jack woke up with a start from his nightmare, the images that awoke him already fading away leaving him wide awake and groaning. He looked around the empty room feeling completely out of place, everything within totally alien to him. Waking up in a stranger's bedroom was a humbling feeling.</p><p>Realizing he wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon he swung off the bed and stretched his legs, circling the room to gather his thoughts. <em>How long have I been here?</em> He wondered. He couldn't see a clock but he guessed he'd been asleep for a couple of hours. He looked down at his wrist. He was still wearing his watch but the hands had stopped moving. <em>Does time even work in the afterlife?</em> He examined the bookshelves searching the volumes for something to entertain himself with, but all the titles were in languages he couldn't understand. All until he found <em>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.</em> "Huh?" He mused flicking through the pages. He wouldn't have guessed the young girl, Freya, as a fan. Yet the book appeared discolored and aged indicating she'd had it a few years. He checked the other bookshelves and found more; <em>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island, Catcher in the Rye, Count of Monty Cristo,</em> all mixed with countless more volumes and novels he couldn't decipher. Whoever Freya was she was an avid reader.</p><p>He continued circling the room until he came to the window, pulling aside the curtains looking out into the vast void of space. The vortex he's told is the Well of Souls drifted beneath the building, swirling clouds drifting through space sparkling in the light. Jackson watched these clouds as they morphed and changed, shifting into the void mixing with the colors and landscape. He looked closer and realized he'd seen shapes like this back home in textbooks about galaxy clusters. He was seeing space. <em>Or universes</em> he thought, recalling the Wraith's throwaway line about the afterlife really being a multiverse. <em>I'm at the center of the multiverse.</em> He stared off into the distance, wondering how far away his home would be. He thought back to the life he left behind, all the things left unsaid, all his unfinished business. <em>I feel like a ghost.</em></p><p>As he stared out he felt a hand on his shoulder, his mind conjuring the image of Kassie standing by his side. But when he looked at his reflection and saw a little girl standing right behind him dressed in a pale white dress. He spun around discovering an empty room. His eyes darted about searching for any hint of where she'd disappeared to. But it was as if she never existed. He looked back at his reflection, unable to see her there either.</p><p>"I can't stay here" he muttered shaking his head. The isolation was making him crazy, hallucinating things that aren't there. He sprinted across the room to the door. Except when he tried the handle he discovered the door was locked. "Oh come on" he swore, examining the frame looking for the lock or bolt. The door appeared to lock from the inside but it wouldn't budge. Like something was blocking it from the outside sealing him in. "Hello?" he called out banging on the wooden panels. The door shook with each thump, the loud knocking echoing through the hallway. But nobody was around to hear it. Jackson continued to bash and scream but Freya's magic held fast keeping him trapped. Eventually he slumped down to his knees. He knew he couldn't break though and gave up, clenching his fists in frustration. <em>Of course she locked me in. I'm like a grain of potassium in a bowl of water. </em>He looked around at the room searching for any other exit. He's left defeated rising to his feet for one last effort to call out for help. "Freya?" he called out, praying she's nearby to let him out or at least talk to him.</p><p>His mind flashed back to all the times in his previous life he sat alone in his room, walking by himself, sitting alone in a restaurant or school. He always sought out the solitude of his own company because he was always nervous around other people, awkward and uncomfortable when in large groups. But in every instance he hated it. Hated being on his own. That's why over the last few years he made an effort to make friends and break the cycle. Yet he's still keeping people at arm's length out of habit and fear. If he hadn't been so uncomfortable he could've asked Kassie out the day he met her. Or the day they became friends. Or the moment he knew how he felt. All those missed opportunities and now he was alone in the afterlife.</p><p>"Hey, let me out!" he shouted kicking at the door, his emotions overwhelming him as a dark cloud creeped across his mind. Claustrophobia set in and his chest tightened. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" he banged and screamed, inevitably giving in on the verge of tears. His palms pressed flat on the door, pushing uselessly against the surface. He was trapped and hopeless. There was a sudden spark in his right palm, ignited by Jackson's despair and frustration. As he slumped against the door the scar on his hand glowed against the surface, orange flames tickling around his fingers as they scorched the door. He looked down sensing the heat, his eyes widening as he witnessed his hand pulse with energy into the door. The magic sealing the threshold strained against the new force, crumbling away as the brand burned through the barrier like an inferno. Jackson felt the energy clash, leaping away in shock and fear staring at the handprint he'd left behind.</p><p>Breathing rapidly he stared down at his palm, the scar on this palm glowing faintly before returning to normal leaving a faint red burn. He peered closer but everything looked and felt fine, leaving him with even more questions. Raising his gaze back up he walked tentatively closer to test the handle again, surprised to discover door now unlocked. "What the hell?" he whispered, cautiously swinging the door open and peering into the dimly lit hallway on the other side.</p><p>He poked his head out and spun from side to side before running his hand over the door frame. He could still feel the remains of the energy sealing him inside crumbling away. Whatever he unleashed was still burning through it like paper. He took one last look down at his hand, an unsettling feeling in his gut, before stepping out of the bedroom and running down the corridor. He had no idea where he was going, no idea where he could go, just knowing he had to get away from here.</p><p>Get away from this nightmare he was living in before he became Jack Nicolson from the Shining.</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>15</p><p>Luke Manning had never conducted a murder investigation before as a detective, but he believed he was more than ready for it. His partner, Joshua Hawkins, would disagree. He believed Manning was too cocky to run an investigation of that calibre. He'd been on the job for nearly fifteen years while Manning was fast tracked through the ranks to be paired with him. A desk jockey at best. Unfortunately he was in charge of assisting the boy in his next step up the rug, which meant he was on his ass more in this case.</p><p>The investigation was still in the early hours of fact finding but it had the potential to turn ugly fast. The two of them were called in at the end of their shift yesterday after a young man was rushed to hospital, found in an alley after being stabbed. According to the doctors they talked to the boy was presumed dead on scene before somehow recovering enough for them to operate. He then flat-lined again on the table but luckily they were able to resuscitate him. They called the whole ordeal a miracle. His wallet told them his name was Jackson White. They got in touch with his family, who were living a few miles away in a town called Ilkeston. They told the police who interviewed them that Jackson was studying Animation at the university here in the city and was also hanging out with his friends yesterday. But they couldn't tell them who his friends were.</p><p>So after checking out the crime scene, which offered no evidence to help, they telephoned the university to organise a meeting with the head of the course he was studying and arrange a talk with his classmates. Hawkins figured he could deduce Jack's friends from the group. Except he discovered Jack got on with nearly everyone and yet didn't really socialise with any. But they did inform them Jack hung out regularly with a group from the neighbouring Illustration course. The tutors called in the student representative, a young lady named Alicia, and she confirmed she could gather the students they were looking for. So while they left to collect the kids the two detectives waited in the classroom looking out the window at the entrance and surrounding area.</p><p>"Nice place" Manning said twitching impatiently.</p><p>Hawkins nodded rubbing the stubble on his chin. His grey hair was combed back neatly and he checked his trimmed moustache in his reflection. People told him he looked distinguished but he knew what they meant was old. Fifteen years and he'd aged faster than the average Joe because of stress. His shirt was unbuttoned and he wore faded jeans and a patchy jacket that he'd worn since he became a detective, his lucky totem. In comparison Manning was smartly dressed in a suit and tie with short crop black hair, reeking of fresh blood. He hated how arrogant and enthusiastic the boy was because it reminded him of how he once was at the beginning. Give him a few months and he'll learn to hate cases like this.</p><p>"Can't imagine crime being a big issue around here" Manning remarked looking around the clean room and out into the tidy workspaces lined with computers and chairs.</p><p>"You'd be surprised" Hawkins replied quietly, recalling numerous cases involving students from this university. So many investigations involving drugs, drink and assault. So many casualties across his career. Last year he'd even been called to investigate an attempted suicide of a graphic design student who'd slit his wrists in the bathroom before being found by the caretaker. The grisly memory was interrupted by the arrival of a group of students led by the staff member they'd talked to earlier. He ushered them into the room asking them to take a seat as the two officers brushed themselves off mentally preparing for the interview. "Please take a seat" Hawkins said politely gesturing to the chairs lined in front of the whiteboard before turning to the tutor waiting by the door. "Do they know why we're here?" he asked them.</p><p>The student rep nodded next to him. "We told them. They're a little shaken. They've been friends for a long time. Jack's a nice guy."</p><p>"I'm sure" he replied, remembering the statement he took from her about their victim. She didn't know him well enough to be of real help though. He looked at the two of them and politely asked "If you wouldn't mind leaving us while we talk privately?"</p><p>They nodded allowing him to close the door, turning around to face the group of young people sitting patiently. At the other side of the room Manning stood by the wall, notebook in hand ready to take down their statement. Hawkins took a deep breath, examining the five of them as he pulled a chair across to sit opposite them. "I'm sorry to pull you all away from your studies" he spoke clearly projecting professionalism and confidence. "I'm Detective Inspector Joshua Hawkins and this is Detective Sargent Luke Manning. As you are aware we're leading the investigation into the assault on Jackson White. He is a friend of yours, correct?"</p><p>The group were silent but nodded in response. "Could we just get your names please?" Manning requested, offering no sympathy or subtlety to keep the witnesses relaxed. Hawkins hid is disapproval behind a composed façade.</p><p>He looked at them each in turn, deducing their current state of mind so he could formulate the best approach. They were all in shock, some more together than others. They answered from left to right, starting with the tallest man. "Daniel Bornar." He was calm, assured, composed. Hawkins got the sense he was the leader of the pack, putting a brave face for the sake of keeping the others calm. "Kadin Harvey" the next boy said, slightly uncomfortable under the officer's gaze. More nervous about being questioned but maybe hiding something. Hawkins made a note to keep an eye on him during the interview. Next to him the smaller girl sat up straight, her breathing steady, a clear sign or a disciplined mind. "Dani… Danielle Alcie" she said cleanly. Hawkins put his guard up, recognising such posture of someone with a wealthy upbringing. In his experience that could mean powerful family connections that could hinder investigations. At the other end of the row the third man replied "Ajay Williams." He spoke quickly but looking like he was uncomfortable. He saw how the others kept glancing at him, waiting for him to do something. Hawkins got the sense he was more the focal point of the group, like a class clown or troublemaker. Maybe he'd had run-ins with the law before? Another one to watch carefully.</p><p>The last student sat between Ajay and Danielle. The quietest of the five. She sat similarly to her neighbour, her back straight and feet together with her hands on her lap, but her gaze was distant. "Miss?" Manning spoke prodding her, pausing in his notes. When she didn't respond he glanced to Hawkins who quietly raised a hand telling him to wait.</p><p>"Excuse me miss?" he said patiently. Her friends gently nudged her arm, breaking her out of her spell so she could raise her eyes and look at them. "I'm sorry, but can I just ask for your name please?" he asked politely. He could see how shell shocked she was, pondering if she was closer to the victim that he'd been told.</p><p>She released a shaky breath, wiping her face for fear she may have been crying and quickly answered. "Kassandra L'amahle. My friends call me Kassie."</p><p>"Is that with a C or a K?" Manning asked bluntly, earning a sharp look from the older detective. <em>No patience or finesse,</em> he scowled.</p><p>"Is Jack okay?" Danielle asked them, finally showing the cracks in her façade. Hawkins finally realised how distraught the girl was and that the calm composure was her attempt at hiding how scared she was. But her voice trembled when she spoke. He looked over the rest and saw their own worried expressions as they waited for the answer.</p><p>"For now. Unless he takes another turn for the worse and we finally call this a murder investigation" he replied, barely even glancing from his notes to see the horrified expressions on their faces.</p><p>"Forgive my sergeant" Hawkins apologised. "He left his manners at his last precinct." Manning looked up at his DI, noting the disapproving look and shutting his mouth. "Our victim, Mr White, is currently stable at Derby General. But he is in critical condition. This is <em>not</em> a murder investigation yet. But we are going to do everything we can to find the person responsible." He sat back and took a breath, giving his sergeant one more look warning him not to interrupt his questioning. "Now, you are all friends of Jackson White correct?"</p><p>"That's right" Daniel said, taking the lead for the group.</p><p>"How long have you all known each other?"</p><p>"We all met around two years ago. We started the same year, attended the same group workshops. Ajay and Kassie were already friends. Kadin met them initially. Dani and I were both put onto a project with Jack, which is when we first met. Basically we all sort of fell into everyone's orbit."</p><p>"So you all hung out regularly" he nodded. "How would you describe Jackson?"</p><p>"He was fine" Kadin shrugged. "Quiet mostly. But he was funny too."</p><p>"My jokes are better" Ajay muttered under his breath.</p><p>"So how did he fit in with the dynamic as it were?" Hawkins asked them. They all looked at each other as if not understanding the question. "Was he close with any of you in particular?"</p><p>"Not really" Daniel replied. "He kept to himself a lot. You know, not talk much but still liked to hang out."</p><p>The detective nodded. Their answers matched up with what the animation students had told him. He was hoping for a discrepancy that could point him to someone who knew him best. "So you were all in the city yesterday afternoon?"</p><p>"Yeah" Daniel nodded. "Tutorials were finished and we decided to go get something to eat in the shopping centre. Nando's had a deal on and we liked the food."</p><p>"So when was the last time you saw Jackson?"</p><p>He thought back a moment, looking over to the young Greek girl as she answered. "We went home around quarter past five. We all left the indoor market and split up."</p><p>"Yeah" Daniel agreed. "I went to my car, parked a few streets away. The girls live in the city so they went off on their own. The others all live outside Derby so they crossed the road to the bus station."</p><p>"And was Jackson with you two then" he asked addressing Kadin and Ajay.</p><p>"We didn't really notice" Kadin admitted. "We went on ahead because our bus was about to leave and I didn't want to miss it."</p><p>"We assumed he jumped onto his" Ajay finished.</p><p>"Except he never left the city" Manning commented. Hawkins allowed the interruption because it was pertinent, risking it as the DS looked down at them. "Any of you partake in any criminal activity we should aware of?"</p><p>"No!" Danielle retorted looking shocked and insulted, as did the others. Hawkins watched their reactions with interest, making a few mental notes to see if they might be hiding something. In his experience students had a habit of making mistakes and not realising the gravity of them until the police were called. But none showed any warning signs he could find.</p><p>"What about Jackson?" he continued. "Would he be involved in any…?"</p><p>"No!" Kassie snapped shaking her head angrily. "He wasn't… He <em>isn't </em>like that" she said quietly.</p><p>Hawkins waited for tempers to cool before addressing the first discrepancy. "Jackson was found in an alley a few blocks away from the bus station" he explained slowly. "So he didn't catch a bus. Do any of you know why he was still in the city? Is it possible he could've been…?"</p><p>"He was with me" Kassie told him, staring up at the man determined to clear her friend's name. The others didn't look surprised as the two detectives shared a glance. "He walked me back to my place" she explained. "Dani had some errands to run so Jack offered to accompany me back to my apartment building."</p><p>Manning walked behind his DI examining Kassie closely. "Does he often walk you home Miss L'amahle?" he asked.</p><p>She shrugged rubbing her elbow. "Sometimes. Usually I tell him I have other errands but he always offered to walk me back. I never really thought much of it."</p><p>"So you both walked home together?" he continued, leading the topic in a suggestive manner. Hawkins listened closely hoping his DS wouldn't put words into her mouth like a rookie or an idiot. The last thing he needed was another suit derailing his investigation.</p><p>"We got back around half five. I…" she paused, losing her words lost in thought.</p><p>Hawkins sighed, leaning forward patiently telling her "I'm sorry. I know how distressing this all must be. But anything you can tell us could be a big help at this stage." He waited until he had her attention back, carefully phrasing his next question correctly. "If you don't mind me asking, how close were you and Jackson?"</p><p>She looked up at him, hearing the shifting of her friends next to her. "We were just friends."</p><p>"Really?" Manning replied, indicating he didn't believe her. "This boy walks you home every chance he can and you're <em>just friends</em>?"</p><p>Ajay scoffed rolling his eyes mumbling "I wish" as Kassie shook her head insistently. "No, we… We weren't like that. He was just a kind and sweet guy. I didn't mind."</p><p>Manning remained unconvinced but Hawkins opted for a change in pace. "Okay" he said calmly, indicating to his partner the matter would be dropped. But he filed the line of questioning away for a later stage. "So, he walks you back to your building and then what?"</p><p>"Then he left. He was standing outside when I last saw him, checking I got in safe. I figured he would make his way home after that."</p><p>He leaned back in his chair, doing some quick calculations in his head. He'd have to double check her address but if it all checked out his path to the bus station might cut along past the alley he was found. Could just be a crime of opportunity. He looked up at his partner, who for once saw the hint in his expression and put his notebook away. "Thank you. That'll be all for now. If we need anything else we'll be in touch."</p><p>"He said he always wanted to be there to keep me safe" Kassie whispered, her gaze once more becoming distant. Hawkins paused before rising out of his seat, watching the young woman as she started spiralling, her breathing becoming rapid as her heart-rate kicked up gear. Hawkins saw the signs, recognising them in multiple different cases. Survivor's guilt. "He wanted me to get home safe, but nobody was there to look out for him. If I had insisted I could go alone… If I had waited with him a little while longer…"</p><p>"Kassie, stop!" Dani shushed her, reaching over to take her hand as tears started falling down her cheeks.</p><p>Hawkins knelt down in front of her, looking into her eyes assuring. <em>This was one of the things the job doesn't teach you.</em> "Kasandra, I know what you're thinking" he said quietly. "But I assure you this is <em>not</em> your fault. Sometimes things just happen to good people and there's nothing anyone can do to change it. The only one to blame is the person who attacked him. And we <em>will</em> find them."</p><p>He held her gaze, trying to show her he understood her pain, reassuring her even thought he couldn't commit to his own promise. She swallowed back a sob, meekly nodding back indicating she was okay.</p><p>"Thank you for your time" he told them all rising to his feet, adjusting his collar as he led the DS out the door. "I'm sorry for having to deliver such grave news. But we will do all we can. Just remember to stay safe until then. Nobody go out on your own."</p><p>"Thanks" Daniel replied, nodding to the officers as they left the classroom. Once they were gone the five of them released a long sigh, sinking to their own thoughts and emotions. Dani consoled Kassie as she wiped her tears away. Ajay got up and paced the room, joined by Kadin to check on him. Daniel sat quietly thinking over the last few days, trying to think of anyone who could've done this to their friend.</p><p>"Jack's going to be okay right?" Dani asked, her emotions in a confused state mirroring Kassie's.</p><p>"Yeah" Daniel assured them, even though he had his doubts. "He'll be fine" he repeated hoping he'll start believing his own words.</p><p>Kassie just closed her eyes and prayed, her hands wrapping tightly around a silver cross that hung around her neck. She prayed he'll be okay, prayed they find out who did this. But most of all she prayed for Jack.</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>16</p><p>The corridors ran through the complex like a maze, each hallway winding up and down various levels leading to massive empty chambers lined with stunning architecture. If Jackson wasn't so lost he might've taken the time to explore the rooms more. He sprinted through temples and tombs and past giant statues depicting gods and demons and angels. He crossed through a tomb where a giant sculpture of Hades wearing a massive faceless helmet glowered down at a glass cabinet housing the preserved body of his wife. Jack briefly skimmed the coffin looking at the beautiful black haired goddess before darting out of the room.</p><p><em>This place is like a god damn labyrinth, </em>he mumbled in frustration as he paced along another corridor that looked just the same as all the others. As he turned the corner he discovered suits of armour lined either side of the hall made of iron and steel and bronze, all looking the same as one another. He'd passed dozens of these statues exploring the Well of Souls, hoping he could use them to act as markers for his journey. But instead they helped blend these halls together like sentries. In fact as he kept running around he started getting the sense these corridors were shifting around him. He swore he'd passed through this hallway already. He kept seeing that door. Around every corner Jack would pass a single door that somehow appeared to be the exact same every time. He breezed past this door over and over because it clearly wasn't the exit, but a part of him had to ask the question of what would be behind it.</p><p>He crossed out of the latest hallway onto a balcony overlooking a massive ballroom where a glistening chandelier hung from the high ceiling. Three of the walls broke into large corridors leading in three directions. All of them empty as Jackson leaned over the banister to look down at the polished and reflective floor below him to see his mirror image looking back at him. Giant windows lit the room with multi-coloured lights creating a disco like effect. "Wow" he breathed taking in the incredible sight.</p><p>The silence of the Well had been stifling throughout his adventures. So hearing the faint voices drifting from the corridor on the left put him on edge. He instinctively crouched down and peered through the banister to see the towering Angel of Death marching into the ballroom with a look of determination, followed closely behind by the smaller young woman he'd met earlier. "What exactly are you asking of me?" Azrael asked her as she sprinted after him, an irritated tone to his gravelly voice.</p><p>"I'm just asking you to go easy on him" she replied breathlessly. Judging by how quickly Azrael was moving she'd been chasing after him for a while without stopping. Jack looked down at them keeping out of sight, watching the exchange quietly as the girl called after the dark skinned warrior. "He's done nothing wrong" she told him.</p><p>Azrael paused finally, allowing Freya to catch her breath as he spun back to face her. "He's a remnant! His very existence in this realm is a threat. There's no telling how much damage he could've unleashed in his wake. And as for this <em>theory</em> you have" he growled narrowing his gaze. "It's ridicules."</p><p>Freya looked up to see him turning back to continue on his way, his intention to interrogate the mortal boy currently locked in her bedroom. She sprang back up to call after him. "The Well saved his life. That has to mean something! After centuries of staying silent it suddenly intervenes during the Reaper's hour of need?"</p><p>"A coincidence" Azrael dismissed.</p><p>Freya shook her head reaching his side. "Marcus taught me never to believe in coincidence. Its champion is dying and the balance is falling apart. He <em>has</em> to be the answer we've been looking for."</p><p>"Or he could be exactly what opposing forces need to distract us, leaving the Well and the mortal world defenceless. You're too naive and trusting Freya. Your judgement is clouded."</p><p>"You trusted me before" she snapped in frustration.</p><p>He glanced across at her, sighing with suppressed contempt. "I've seen empires rise and fall" he said calmly, keeping his tone measured trying not to lose his temper. He hated dealing with children sometimes and this little girl wasn't helping. "You're still just a child. This ordeal is affecting you…"</p><p>"No!" Freya snapped stepping out in front of him, throwing her hands out in front to shove him back in frustration though he proved too big to even flinch. "He's our friend" she shouted angrily. "Why <em>shouldn't </em>it affect me? You should be upset to! We're running out of…" She faltered as tears formed in her eyes, pausing to take a breath and wipe her face. "We're running out of time to help him."</p><p>Azrael sighed patiently, placing a hand on her shoulder in an effort to try and comfort her. "We can't save him" he reminded her calmly. "You know that. But the idea that this boy can take his place is absurd" he told her strongly, unknowingly triggering a confused and startled reaction from Jackson who was still listening from the balcony. "A living soul has never served as the Well's champion before."</p><p>He gently pushed past her to walk down the corridor while she stared after him. "None of them have ever died before either" she reminded him.</p><p>The statement made Azrael hesitate, scowling in frustration before looking over his shoulder. "He's not going to be what you hope he is" he hissed. "But that won't mean much unless I can get some answers. So unless you want to stand here and continue stalling might I suggest we get on with this?" She stood awkwardly silent, shuffling her feet as she reluctantly followed him down the corridor in the direction of her room. She knew the kind of interrogation techniques Azrael planned to implement and had hoped to convince him to be a little more forgiving when they finally got down there. She feared the look on the young man's face when he would be dragged out by Azrael, terrified screaming for her help while she just stood by and did nothing.</p><p>Jackson rose back to his feet as the two figures marched out of sight, letting out a relieved breath for not getting spotted eavesdropping. "What the hell was all that about?" he wondered before cautiously creeping down a different hallway, hopefully taking him in the opposite direction.</p><p>While Jackson navigated the halls aimlessly Freya nervously walked briskly beside the silent Angel of Death, making quick progress to her bedroom. She went through as many potential arguments to talk him out of torturing the captive mortal in her head but came up empty. Azrael was efficient in his security of the Well, just as Marcus was efficient at his job. They both tried to teach her to be just as ruthless and determined but she didn't have the heart or stomach for it. She knew there was a reason the remnant was spared by the Well despite being toxic to the afterlife. And she knew he wasn't a threat to them. She could see it in his eyes. He was just terrified. "Please" she begged one last time as they rounded the corner, her door twelve feet away. "Couldn't you just talk to him?"</p><p>"If you're so concerned for this mortal" Azrael growled, pausing to emphasise his stance on the matter without explaining himself. "Then you can wait in your room and stay out of it all together."</p><p>Her shoulders slumped resigned to her defeat, turning to walk ahead and undo the spell sealing her room. Her breath caught in her throat when she approached and saw the door was instead partially ajar, any sign of her barrier evaporated. As she froze Azrael came up to find the bedroom open, storming inside to inspect the room discovering it was empty. Freya quickly scanned the hallway but there was no sign of the remnant. "What did you do?" Azrael roared, barging out of the bedroom and locking his fist around her cloak.</p><p>"I didn't do anything!" She squealed, backed up against the wall as he glared at her in the eye. "He was here! I locked the door, I swear!"</p><p>The angel huffed in anger staring at the trembling girl, his eyes blazing with fury as he whispered "I knew I was going to regret this. If I find out you let him escape…" He left the threat hanging as he released her, marching off down the hall mentally signalling the sentries to find the missing remnant before he stumbled his way out of the labyrinth.</p><p>In another part of the maze Jackson weaved around another identical corridor into another identical hallway. He was so turned around he thought he was going in circles. Approaching a corner he peeked around the side to find a pair of armoured statues standing at the opposite end. But just as he stepped out their helmets glowed blue as mist leak out of the chinks in their breast plate. He quickly leapt back behind cover just as they stepped down from their posts and retrieved their weapons hanging from the wall. "You've got to be kidding me?" He muttered peering around the side, watching in shock and fascination as the previously silent statues started moving in his direction. Reversing course he spun around and found himself walking face first into a brick wall. "What?" He hissed in surprise staring at the dead end which wasn't there seconds ago. <em>No no no! I knew this maze was messing with me!</em></p><p>He pounded on the wall, his heart rate quickening as he discovered how sturdy and solid and impenetrable it was. He could hear the footsteps of the sentries approaching quickly, running back to the corner to see them moving quickly. He calculated at least twenty seconds before they would round the corner and find him.</p><p>
  <em>Crap crap crap!</em>
</p><p>Jack slumped against the wall holding his breath, trying to think of a way out of this when his eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of something out the corner of his eye. Glancing back he found the door that had been following him all over the complex sitting in the wall opposite him, somehow appearing out of thin air. "What the hell is going on?" Jack whispered staring at the door, listening to the stomping footsteps coming closer and louder. Seeing no other options and out of time Jackson sprung away from the wall and reached for the door handle, opening easily for him to slip inside out of sight.</p><p>He pressed his ear against the wood, listening for the footsteps hot on his heels. Outside the sentries marched around the corner, their vacant gaze surveying the hallway finding nobody as they continued walking. They marched forward down the now open corridor, the door Jackson had vanished into no longer present for them to inspect.</p><p>Jack was met with silence as he listened to the wood, letting out a sigh of relief. He took a moment to breathe before turning around to examine the room he'd ducked into. He was met with an office and a desk at the opposite end, a dim lamp lighting the files and papers scattered over the surface. Pictures lined the walls next to a giant pin board covered in newspapers. He walked over to the board to read them, surprised to see stories both recent and decades old. He skimmed the headlines: <em>Massive fires in New Mexico, Is the Loch Ness monster real, Shadows kidnapped my baby, Mysterious Plague struck Cairo. </em>He found himself focusing on one of the more recent pages, reading the bold headline <em>STRANGER THINGS IN DERBY?</em> The articles talked about some unusual sightings and murders that he didn't realise were happening within a three mile radius of his university. All the newspapers seemed to share a theme of tabloid nonsense, something the public would simply dismiss upon reading. But after learning what he'd learnt about the afterlife Jackson had to wonder if these headlines were selected for a reason. <em>Is there more to myths and legends than everyone thinks?</em></p><p>He scanned the office looking for a clue to its inhabitants. It was too cluttered and indigenous to earth for him to believe it belonged to Azrael. The décor and files and coffee cups made him think off a private investigators office, yet the stains indicated it hadn't been used in a few days at least. He spun around and peeked through the partition, finding a blackboard with crime scene photos and notes and documents, the centre piece a middle aged man sporting grey hair and narrow eyes. Jack examined the board curiously, trying to deduce the John Doe's identity and why he's under investigation, until he sensed someone else in the room with him.</p><p>He whirled around to discover the joining chamber served as a massive bedroom, where the pale middle aged man from the crime board lay sleeping upon the bed.</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>17</p><p>The bedroom was a large chamber with a king sized bed, sitting against the far wall facing the partition leading to the office as well as the crime board. Along the wall on its right side a pair of long beige curtains opened up to reveal a large window covered with matching blinds looking out into the colourful void outside. Either side of this window sat a massive wardrobe and a chest of drawers, blending into the dull brown colour scheme of the entire room. Along the left wall opposite the window was a pair of double doors leading to the corridor outside, assuming the maze allowed for it. Beside the bed a nightstand supported a lamp and a collection of painkillers, supplied to help the middle aged man lying in the king sized bed sleep.</p><p>Jackson froze when he realised he wasn't the only person in the room, creeping softly around the bed quietly watching the grey haired individual, careful not to wake him. He moved his feet lightly across the carpeted floor towards the double doors, keeping his gaze trained on the bed until his heel collided into something in the far corner. "Shit" he hissed under his breath, shooting his hand out to catch whatever it was he'd knocked over. His hand caught the handle of what he thought was a broom, stopping it from hitting the ground and making a sound. Holding his breath he waited for any stirring, examining the broom only to realise it was something else entirely.</p><p>
  <em>A scythe.</em>
</p><p>Jack's eyes widened as he looked over from the thick oak shaft in his hand and the sharp silver curved blade spurting out of the opposite end. It looked old but well cared for. And it looked just as lethal. Jack glanced up at the crime board across the room, analysing the pictures revealing the man in the photos holding the weapon drenched in a trench coat. <em>Who the hell is this guy?</em> He wondered lifting the heavy piece of equipment and placing it back in the corner. He decided to leave before he was caught, quietly dashing to the door and trying the handle. The door appeared to be unlocked, casting one last glance to the slumbering man in the bed before opening it.</p><p>"I wouldn't do that if I were you" a deep voice told him as he peered out into the hallway.</p><p>A chill ran down his spine when he heard the man speak, freezing like a cat caught in flood lights standing in the threshold. His breath caught in his throat as he looked back to find the man hadn't opened his eyes, calm and still as if waiting for something. Jack looked back into the hall only to see two more sentries patrolling outside, their blank faces turning in his direction. He slammed the doors shut hiding from the living statues once more. "How the hell did you..?" he panted whirling around to face the older gentlemen, who was still lying still on the bed.</p><p>"You make an absolute racket when you sneak around like that" he told him.</p><p>Jack crossed his arms and leant back against the doors. "Sorry I woke you" he apologised. The man settled back as if to return to sleep, leaving Jack standing awkwardly in his bedroom. "Isn't this the part where you threaten to turn me in if I don't explain why I'm here or who I am?"</p><p>"This fortress operates as an extension of the Well of Souls and responds to its whim, creating a labyrinth to trap and confuse its enemies and all potential threats. If you found your way in here I can only assume the Well <em>allowed</em> you to. Which means the why and who should become apparent."</p><p><em>Okay?</em> Jack thought looked around the room. "So who are you then?"</p><p>The man's eyes drifted open, looking back at the boy in his bedroom seeing how oblivious he was. "You don't know?" he asked surprised. Jack shook his head. "If you don't know who I am then why are you here?"</p><p>"I don't know. This place is a maze and your door was the only exit."</p><p>The man looked at him bewildered, a thoughtful look on his brow. "Okay, now I have questions" he muttered as he pushed himself up off the mattress.</p><p>Jack saw the discomfort in the man's face, the covers falling off his frail body. As he sat up the huge scar on his chest revealed itself, an open wound running down his skin hastily stitched closed, a clear infection spreading out into his bloodstream. "Whoa!" Jack said as he found himself stepping forward to gently stop the man from climbing out of bed. "Um, are you sure you should be getting up? You look like you need to rest."</p><p>"Urgh, you sound like Freya" he complained shrugging off his concern. "I'm not dead yet so quit nagging me." He waited for the pain he was feeling to pass before turning to face the boy. "Now, first question. Who are you?"</p><p>Jack hesitated as he stood over the older man, wondering whether he could trust him. But knowing the options he had he decided to answer "Jack. Jack White. I…um, kind of died."</p><p>"That's usually how people come to the afterlife" the man grunted rolling his shoulders. He examined Jack a little more closely and raised an eyebrow. "And yet you're not dead. So why is a remnant in my bedroom? Hiding from Azrael and his sentries I presume?"</p><p>Jack stared at him in astonishment. "How do know I'm a remnant? Whatever that is."</p><p>"You're a walking radioactive beacon around here kid. I'm surprised my friends didn't just throw you into a black hole."</p><p><em>They tried</em> Jack mumbled. He checked the hallway again, the corridor once more different but this time empty. "Um, thanks for the talk old man but I need to go."</p><p>"Go where exactly?" he asked him smirking. "Dead or not there's really no way out of here unless…" He stopped short, a thoughtful look on his face. "Unless she lets you."</p><p>Jack looked at him confused, shrugging his shoulders as he stepped out of them bedroom. "You should really get some rest, Mr..?"</p><p>"Marcus" the older man replied. "Marcus Blake."</p><p>"Nice to meet you. Bye" Jack said disappearing abruptly, the door slamming behind him.</p><p>Alone in the bedroom Marcus sat in his bed silently, looking across to the board at the details of his attack in <em>The White Stallion</em> all those weeks ago. He was no closer to figuring out who or what was responsible and his time was running out if the infection in his body was any indication. He slumped back against the headrest, his bones aching staring up out of the window into the vast multiverse outside. "I hope you know what you're doing" he said to the cosmic force watching him. He wasn't a man of faith, but right now he was prepared to pray for a miracle.</p><p>Jackson swept through the hallways, moving more cautiously now that the corridors were being patrolled. But to his surprise he encountered very little resistance as he crossed through the halls. He wondered if the maze trying to lead him somewhere after all, just like Marcus had said. He wasn't sure what to make of him. He seemed okay. But at the same time got the sense that he wasn't. <em>Why was he on the crime board? Where did he get that scar on his chest? How did he and Freya know each other? What's his connection to Azrael?</em> Jack couldn't put his finger on it but it felt like he was somebody important around here. He just didn't know who he was.</p><p>His sneaking around came to an abrupt end when he stepped out of the corridor suddenly, nearly losing his footing as he found himself hanging over the precipice of a cliff. He caught himself moments before toppling over into the void, the swirling mists of the vortex hovering miles below him. "Bloody hell!" he scolded himself pulling back to the wall. He hadn't realised he had stumbled outside. The winding halls made no sense. He checked back expecting his exit to have vanished but instead it sat silent and open. "Now what?" he asked looking around.</p><p>The cliff he stood upon appeared empty but didn't offer anywhere to go, except for one very narrow path along the cliff face to the right. Usually Jack wouldn't risk something so treacherous. However, feeling like he had a moment to breathe, his curiosity got peaked. Creeping around the corner, carefully putting one foot in front of the other hugging the wall, nervously glancing over the side at the endless drop waiting for him, Jackson arrived at a small platform jutting out of the cliff pointing out into the vast space. He stepped onto the solid platform and explored the area, a large dark cavern leading back into the rock face where he assumed he'd just come from. But sitting at the edge were two curved obsidian pillars that caught his attention. They stood either side of a circular floor raised a couple of inches off the ground. Strange symbols were carved into the stone circling the edge, a foreign language Jackson couldn't decipher. When he approached to take a closer look the symbols lit up, glowing faintly awoken from his proximity. <em>Cool</em>, Jack thought taking another step. The glow intensified and the pillars lit up as light flowed along the faint carvings etched into their surface. A few more steps and he could hear the hum of whatever energy was coursing through the stonework. As he walked up to the pillars their glow started to illuminate something hovering in the air over the platform, shapes twinkling in the empty space beckoning Jack forward. A tiny part of him suggested he back away and head inside. But that voice was quashed, more interested in seeing what this thing was.</p><p>She stepped up to the holographic shape and examined it, seeing the image of what looked like <em>Earth</em>. He was looking at a 3D image of Earth. "Okay, so… What do you do?" he asked quietly, falling into the process of talking to himself when he was trying to solve a puzzle. "This looks like a gateway of some kind. Or maybe you're a window? An observation deck? So what happens if I..?" He reached out and tried to tap the hologram, surprised when his fingers actually triggered a reaction as the orb suddenly spun. The image morphed into a topographical view of the map, the land mass rising whilst also layering with multiple colours of the same image. Not knowing what this meant Jack tapped the map again, pointing towards the general area of Europe. He was delighted to find the continent expand with more detail. "Okay google" he quipped, deciding his next destination. He found a familiar looking island and reached out to it, the map zooming in, following his subtle directions as if it was reading his mind. The image grew around him until he reached a street deep in the heart of the UK, an address he'd memorised all his life. He stepped back and looked at the holographic image of the location he'd chosen, feeling rather melancholic. "That's the place" he muttered tapping his foot sadly.</p><p>What he didn't realise was his foot was standing directly over one of the symbols glowing on the floor, where upon contact with his boot it activated. He looked down and saw the bright blue light spread along the platform and up the pillars. The energy stirred around him as the empty space between them rippled with a rainbow of colours. Jackson stared at the dazzling display in wonder until he felt a tug as the air around him. <em>Oh no!</em></p><p>He realised his mistake too late, attempting to flee as the air cackled between him and the gateway, yanking him into the void where he vanished in a blink of an eye.</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Journal of Marcus Travis Blake, 4th June 2019</p><p>It's been three weeks since that night in <em>the White Stallion</em>, bleeding out and left to die in the dark cold. To this day I have no idea who it was that attacked me, I've spent every waking moment in my bed chambers trying to deduce that identity only to come up empty. I have hundreds of enemies who would have motive. But few would have the opportunity. And even fewer have the means to actually kill me. The fact that I am actually dying is the most disconcerting.</p><p>I awoke in the Well of Souls after Azrael used the soul bridge to bring me back out of the mortal world, dropping me onto the floor of the observation deck by his feet. He knelt by my side and tended to my wound, but we both knew it was more serious than he could treat. I could barely stand and was struggling to stay conscious when my ward came in. I urged my comrade to keep her away so she didn't have to see me like this. Stubborn girl wouldn't listen and insisted she help carry me to my bed so they could patch me up. She remained by my side even after discovering I wouldn't make it.</p><p>Freya is many things. Persistent. Innocent. Naïve. Powerful. But her capacity for hope was something I used to admire, until it became her crutch. She refused to accept that there was nothing we could do to save me and became obsessed with finding a way to heal my mortal wounds. Even going so far as to nearly get herself killed. I allow her to hope because she needs it. She's still just a child and hasn't seen what we have seen. Hasn't lived as long as we have.</p><p>What I need is purpose. I've been confined to this bed for days and I underestimated how irritating sitting on the side-lines would be. I've never been fond of relying on others to do what's needed to be done. Azrael has been keeping the peace in my absence. But he knows it's only a matter of time until things spin out of control. I <em>need </em>to be out there. The Well needs me out there.</p><p>Yet it appears the Well has other ideas.</p><p>I was visited by a remnant today. A recent addition to the afterlife yet living nonetheless. Somehow he stumbled his way into my chambers. No doubt with help of a cosmic guide, though he has no knowledge of the extent of the Well's influence. I only got a moment to speak with him but something seemed… special. In my eyes he stood like a simple and ordinary young mortal, afraid and confused wandering the halls ignorant of the universe around him. He certainly didn't seem to hold the look of a fighter, more like one of a boy who'd run and hide from a fight. But if the Well led him to me she must see something in him I cannot.</p><p>But do I trust my patron and see where his fate takes him? Or do I fulfil my duty to the balance and help apprehend him. After all, remnants are a toxic threat to the afterlife and the longer he's left free the more damage we risk suffering.</p><p>I feel like I'm sitting on a game board and somebody keeps changing the rules.</p><p>A few moments ago I was visited once more by my young ward, coming to check on my condition for the third time today. I go through the motions of assuring her I'm comfortable and that everything will be okay. But I can feel the infection burning through my chest. Whatever weapon pierced my body was infused with an energy that is killing me faster than I can heal. I can sense the mysterious power eating away at my astral energy, at my soul. The wound won't close and I ran out of blood to lose hours ago. My body is literally running on empty. The angel's magic is helping me hold on a while longer, but mostly it's all willpower. But it wasn't me that Freya had come to talk to me about. She was worried, feeling guilty for her part of the remnants escape. She swore she locked her door but she was the one to pull him out of the well. She wanted to tell her side before Azrael started throwing accusations around. He listened patiently, letting her plead her case until the keeper of the Well burst into my room with a boom.</p><p>"I have sentries searching the entire building" he reported. "And I've sent wraiths to guard all the exits. If he's still here I'll find him. I still can't believe you let him just <em>walk</em> out of here."</p><p>"It wasn't like I was in a position to stop him" I informed the angel of Death. I could feel my wards shocked gaze on me, realising that Azrael had come to him first and had indeed relayed his concerns about the boy's escape and his suspicions about Freya's role. But I was not about to start interrogating the girl without hearing her version of events and considering all sides. It is a new experience hearing all sides. Usually I trusted my gut and picked my own side. But days sitting with my own thoughts have left me contemplating choices I've made. "You're the one in charge of security" I said to Azrael, turning the situation back on track before he and Freya could start arguing amongst themselves. "How did a remnant get this far inside the Well in the first place?"</p><p>"Don't put this on me old man!" he snapped angrily. I simply raised an eyebrow. Entities like the boy shouldn't have been able to set foot in the Well, indicating even further that there's Devine intervention at work. Azrael understood the stance I was taking and took a reluctant breath. "Our priority right now is to find him before he can do anymore damage."</p><p>"He's not dangerous" Freya objected standing off by the window.</p><p>"I'll be the judge of that" Azrael scoffed dismissively. "He won't have gotten far. The Well would've made sure of it."</p><p>"I'm not so sure" I said thoughtfully.</p><p>Freya turned back to look at me hesitantly, maybe hoping to re-establish our faith in her. "The corridors shift in accordance to the Well's consciousness. He'll be somewhere in here going around in circles until we find him."</p><p>"If the Well wishes it. He found his way into my bed chamber by accident. Or not. If the Well let him get in here, it may have also provided him access to the soul-bridge whilst sending us on a wild goose chase."</p><p>"Are you saying the Well could be working <em>against </em>us?" Azrael asked in disbelief. "Why would it help a mortal who's such a potential risk?"</p><p>"She must have her reasons" I replied, the only explanation I could offer.</p><p>The dark skinned warrior clenched his fist, smashing it against the door frame in frustration. "If that's true then he could be anywhere by now! We may never find him!"</p><p>"We'll find him" Freya said, stepping forward nervously. I watched as she carefully walked towards the angry angel, attempting to quell the man's temper. "He's just scared and confused. He's not some criminal mastermind planning an attack, so…"</p><p>"You don't know that!" was the man's response as he glared at her. "If he is a threat and I find out you helped him escape, there will be hell to pay!" he warned her. The scolding look he gave her revealed how little trust he had left, leaving the poor girl standing in my room frozen as he stormed into the hallway. "Now I have a remnant to hunt down" he snarled over his shoulder, slamming the door behind him.</p><p>I quietly watched my ward stare at the closed door, her composure wavering. I could see the tears breaking through her expression. She hid her face from me, ashamed to show how much Azrael's scorn upset her. I have to remember she's still just a child, still seeking approval from those she sees as the family she lost. It's going to cause her great pain when she finally accepts I can no longer be there to protect her. Just as it pains me accepting I must leave her to fend for herself. I need her and Azrael to support each other, now more than ever. "I swear my door was locked!" she blurted out suddenly, sensing my gaze on her. She put on a confident front for the benefit of defending herself, standing tall and assured despite her knees shaking. "I even used a harmonic seal just to be safe. I don't understand how he got out."</p><p>"Maybe we're not meant to yet" I replied softly, showing her I wasn't angry with her. She seemed to calm down and relax, leaning against the bed frame while I sorted through all the facts in my head. "You shouldn't blame yourself" I told her.</p><p>"Azrael thinks I'm too trusting" she said glumly.</p><p>Azrael is right, of course. But it seemed counterproductive to mention that and chose my words more carefully. "You like to see the good in people. That's not such a bad thing, if a bit naïve." I could see it wasn't really what my ward wanted to hear, so I redirected the topic. "Now, the boy… What do we know about him?"</p><p>She looked across at me, quiet but glad I was still willing to let her help. I'd been teaching her everything I know over the last few years. After I'm gone she'll need those lessons to go forward and assist Azrael in his duties to the well. "He's just an average everyday mortal" she told me. "Nothing special. Died in an alley, in a mugging I think. But the Well spared him!" she said insistently. "The judges sentenced him to oblivion because he was a remnant but it saved him anyway. There has to be a reason for that. What if… What if he's been chosen to replace you?"</p><p>I remembered Freya's hope about my death meaning something and had entertained the thought that my successor would be chosen without me. But the boy? I glanced across to the scythe in the corner, recalling how he had caught it after knocking it over. The way he hesitated with it in his hands confirmed he wasn't the right fit for it. "The Well hasn't chosen a champion for centuries" I gently explained to the girl, letting her down carefully. "Why would it choose this mortal to replace me?" I saw the doubt in her silence. She wasn't sure, she was simply pulling at straws. "Did he appear a threat to you?" I asked her.</p><p>"No!" she snapped, mistaking my question for mockery. "He was just confused. Scared. Like… like a lost child."</p><p><em>Scared like she was</em>, she meant. That was what was intriguing about the boy when I met him. When I told him he sounded like my ward I never realised how alike they were. Mannerisms. The same curious yet nervous look in their gaze. The reserved gait hiding their emotions and fears. They are almost mirror images of each other. Or a match made in heaven. In that moment I wondered whether it was an accident for this mortal to fall into my life. Or if I'm just a stepping stone to a greater destiny. Maybe the well truly does has a grand plan.</p><p>"So we won't find him if we treat it like we're looking for a seasoned criminal" I thought aloud. The key to a manhunt is to think like the person you're chasing. "We need to think like a child, scared and alone. Think my girl. You were at his judgement. You saw his life. If you were in his position, if you were lost and scared and confused, where would you go?"</p><p>She followed my instruction and closed her eyes, releasing a steady breath as she placed herself into the shoes of the boy she'd met. I had my own suspicions on where he would've run to. But I needed her to do this for herself. Training for when she was alone. But also to redeem herself in the angel of death's eyes.</p><p>It took her a few seconds longer than it should've, but she had the answer.</p><p>"He would run home."</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>18</p><p>The first time Jackson walked through limbo his surroundings resembled the city of Derby, the place where he died. This time round they were a decrepit and fractured version of another familiar place, a town called Ilkeston. He walked slowly through the streets alone and shivering, a ghostly chill haunting him as he explored aimlessly through the harrowing landscape. He retraced a sequence of steps he'd followed his whole life before he died, crossing the empty streets looking out over the broken horizon. Like before the world around him broke apart and drifted aimlessly around him, reforming around him as he continued in his journey. Roads shattered and buildings crumbled and the few that remained standing in one piece rose over him with ghostly shapes dashing behind the dusty windows, watching him silently. He barely noticed the eyes following him, his attention focused on the crawling figures of the Soulless hunting him. He could see them out the corner of his eye, their vacant eyes fixed upon him waiting for their moment to pounce.</p><p>But he knew they were hesitating. They had already tried to devour him when their claws burst out of a wall behind the sofa he was sitting on. The grey bricks exploded around him as gnarly fingers reached around him to grab his arms and shoulders. He turned around to see their black teeth bared ready to eat him. But the moment their hands touched him they suddenly let out a harrowing scream, their skin blistering like they'd reached into a bowl of sulphuric acid. They immediately let him go and retreated back into the ruins, leaving Jackson startled but unharmed.</p><p>
  <em>Remnants are living anomalies that aren't compatible with the afterlife. Their energy is toxic to its inhabitants, making your presence here dangerous.</em>
</p><p><em>He was toxic. His very being is a threat</em>. He stared after the creatures who were fleeing from him like the plague, their flesh smouldering after he merely touched them. While that proved a good thing, keeping him safe, he felt like he was…<em>wrong</em>. He didn't belong and he made a mistake coming here. Even as he walked away it felt like his every step was corroding the ground beneath him, leaving black footprints in his wake that could spread out like an infection and dissolve the rest of the afterlife. With no other recourse he kept moving, heading in the direction of the town centre, cutting between the hollow factories that made up the industrial estate running along the empty cannel. He could see the dried out banks over the rubble and dust fields, another beacon of light on the other side leading back to the Well of Souls. He didn't feel the same compulsion the rest of the ghosts shared as they marched in the same direction, turning his back on it to walk by a dead McDonalds. That managed to bring a small smile to his face.</p><p>As he took his glum steps along the roads, crossing a large roundabout devoid of activity and vehicles, Jackson put his mind back to the moment he arrived here after finding the gateway in the Well. He had no idea what he experienced after being pulled through that portal, flung through a rainbow of colours tunnelling through space at the speed of light so fast he felt like his skin was about to peel off his skeleton. His scream was lost in the vacuum whipping past his ears as he witnessed a fluctuating planet grow in size before until he landed on the ground in a deafening BOOM!</p><p>His landing kicked up a huge dust cloud that choked the air out of him, rolling across the concrete seeing stars. The portal closed instantaneously behind him, the rainbow vanishing as the boom echoed across the landscape. If there were birds in the afterlife they would've flown the coop in a five mile radius. Jackson knew he wasn't in the Well of Souls any longer because the air was different. The ground was colder to the touch. It felt like he'd rolled into a freezer. Gasping for breath he pushed himself to his knees coughing up dust. The ash stung his eyes, looking up to get his bearings. He was met with the sight of a grey building nestled between two hollow wireframes of what used to be houses. The street was empty, with ghosts wandering in and out of the doorways, debris floating several feet above him drifting aimlessly across the sky. Jack rose to his feet in bewilderment, staring up at the house recognising it immediately. It was the address he directed the portal to.</p><p><em>I'm home</em>.</p><p>It was a surreal experience opening the rotting front door and entering a decaying echo of his childhood home. The crumbling hallway looked exactly like it did the day he left the house to grab the bus to university. The stairs rose up to the first floor where his bedroom sat on the left, his sister's room next to the bathroom, his parent's room at the end of the hall. He took his time climbing the steps, the floor boards cracked and splintered on the verge of collapsing. He got to the top and looked around at the patchwork walls and the massive hole in the ceiling opening the building up to the elements. He took a peek inside his room, the space devoid of furniture except for a pair of rusted metal scaffolding that used to be beds. It was as if Jack had been gone for years and everything had just eroded to nothing. He returned downstairs and found the living room, which led into the kitchen around the back. A big sofa sat torn apart beside the wall in front of a pile of ash in the middle of the room, the remains of a cabinet in the corner. In the kitchen he found a sink and a fridge, broken and lifeless. It was a sad sight seeing his home like this, a tear running down his cheek. He didn't even understand why he was so upset.</p><p>But then he heard them. He heard his parents, arguing, their voices drifting on the breeze around him. He spun around looking for them, a glimmer of hope filling his heart. He stepped into the living room, searching frantically for his family until he found a pair of shadows walking towards him. He froze in place as the ghosts walked right through him, their voices rising until it sounded like he was right back in the room with them. They hurried to the kitchen, arguing with each other, the words lost to the winds as they vanished before Jack's eyes. He stared at the spot he thought he saw them, wondering if it was actually a figment of his imagination or if he had just taken a glimpse into the land of the living. <em>Was that real? Do they know what happened? What if they haven't heard? What if they don't know I've died? Have they even noticed I'm gone?</em> He fell back onto the sofa, the seat collapsing to the ground. He didn't care as he dropped his face into his hands with tears in his eyes. Not that anyone was around to notice. It finally dawned on him this wasn't a dream. He was really dead.</p><p>"So this is what death feels like" he said aloud to the empty room, feeling just <em>empty</em>. He felt like a ghost.</p><p>It wasn't long after that the soulless attacked him, reminding him that he couldn't stay in one place for too long in this place. Even dead he wasn't safe. So he left the house and made for the only place he could think off. He set off and followed the road to town, setting his legs to autopilot while he let his mind wander on its own and sort through everything he'd been through. The streets remained empty as he reached the Main Street running through the centre of town, rising steadily up the hill towards what he knew would be a church and the public library. He chose not to travel that far, settling for a set of steps leading to a side building next to a sloping brick surface. How many times had he walked past this spot in his life? How many times did he slide down that slope when he was younger? <em>It looked so much bigger back then.</em> He looked up at the dark building, trying to recall what the place actually was. <em>I don't think I ever learnt.</em> With a heavy heart he slumped down onto the dusty steps, his shoulders buckling from the weight of the burden he was carrying. He was lost in the afterlife, surrounded by images that he no longer felt a connection too. This wasn't his home anymore. He hung his head in defeat, tears running down his cheeks finally allowing himself to weep.</p><p>"What do I do now?" He mumbled crying, feeling even more alone than he'd ever had before.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>19</p><p>When the voices reached his ears he thought it was just another ghost, shrugging them away wiping his eyes. But when they got louder he realised they weren't in his head and they didn't sound like anyone he used to know.</p><p>"Are we sure this mortal can be trusted?"</p><p>"Our master seems to believe so, for now" one of the voices muttered. "As long as we get to break through to the mortal world I don't give a damn."</p><p>Jackson's gaze rose up from his lap, following the sound up the street where he saw two figures materialising around one of the corners with their backs to him. They were too far away for him to really make them out and he was too far away to be spotted. His immediate impulse was to stay where he was and leave them to it. But they were the first other people that weren't ghosts he'd seen since he had arrived in limbo. <em>Maybe they're wraiths like the one that helped me after I died?</em> He got up and figured it'd be safer to just leave before they came this way and found him. But when he stood up he stared up after the figures. Something didn't feel right. He didn't know what it was but he had an uneasy feeling in his gut. Something didn't sit right with this situation. So rather than turning his back and vanishing into the ruins like he intended he crept after the figures, following them up the street remaining out of sight. <em>This is a bad idea</em> he thought, hiding in the shadows tailing the voices as they argued amongst themselves.</p><p>"I'm just saying, if the mortal proves to be a problem I'll be more than happy to flay the skin off his body."</p><p>"You'll have plenty of chances to indulge your bloodlust so be patient. We've waited centuries for an opportunity like this. You can wait a couple more moments. And if the mortal does screw with us, the Dark Lord will want to deal with it personally."</p><p>"Still don't like the idea of relying on mortals to invade their own world."</p><p>"There are plenty of humans who would sell their own souls to damn their home world."</p><p>The more Jackson heard the less he liked these guys. They crossed over to a small intersection where a towering structure hovered over them. Jack recognised the location as the Albion Centre, basically Ilkeston's little shopping centre branching off the main street. He sprinted forward, his footsteps crunching in the ash as he dived behind a low wall next to the mirror image of a bank. One of the figures paused to turn back in his direction, narrowly missing him as he ducked down out of view.</p><p>"What now?" his partner asked him. The was revealed to be some sort of ogre, tough green skin clad in fur and leather hand crafted by his own hands out of the kills he'd made over the years. Orange tattoos were painted over his skin marking him as a warrior of the highest calibre, a thin scar etched down one side of his face from a legendary foe that earned him his promotion to berserker, the most elite in his tribe. He slung his battle axe over his shoulder scowling, two thick tusks jutting up from his bottom lip, looking down at the bat-like creature walking on all fours, spine jutting out of his back turning on the spot examining the street. The creature was revealed to be blind, grey skin covering the sockets where his eyes would've been. The sightless monster also neglected a nose, only a mouth rimmed with sharp incisors making up the faceless image. Two massive pointed ears twitched towards Jack's direction, who held his breath upon realising what he was hiding from. Biology taught him bats aren't necessarily blind but their hearing would give him away in a heartbeat, literally.</p><p>The bat creature growled, it's folded winged arms flexed before it turned away. "Thought I heard something" it told its companion. "Must have run off."</p><p>"Probably just one of those soulless pests. Worse than cockroaches" the green ogre huffed leading them both across the street.</p><p>Jack risked a sigh of relief before peering out over the wall, watching the two figures as they approached a hollowed out wall leading into an empty space. In the mortal world a restaurant used to stand here. Now it was boarded up and unused. Yet in here it held a collection of other creatures as they waited for the two stragglers to arrive. "Well you two took your time" the demoness said watching the pair finally arrive. She sat on a dark grey pile of rubble with her legs crossed. She wore jet black leggings that were dotted with rips and tears, four inch heels secured by bindings on her feet. She wore a tight fitting tank top torn just underneath her bust, the sleeves ripped away to be tied around her arms and wrists covering open wounds. She looked like a castaway from an island, her dark hair tied back in a ponytail framing her sharp features. Out of the group she appeared the most humanoid. Except her skin was blood red, fiery orange eyes, horns curling out of her hair and a long pointed tail whipping behind her back.</p><p>"And I was hoping this gateway would be open by now" the ogre growled at her. She appeared more interested in her nails, ignoring the berserker's scorn. He looked around at the rest of the assembled party, looking up at the massive hulking creature glaring down at him. The monster was covered in fur over muscular grey skin, its arms like giant tree trunks supporting the smaller muscular legs, its misshapen head hanging between two large round shoulders. "You're here too? You sure you'll be able to fit?"</p><p>"You want me to squeeze you through that door frame over there?" it asked him with a snarl.</p><p>As the two of them had their staring contest the armoured figure with green scales waited, arms crossed patiently in the middle of the room. "Save your energy for when we get to the other side" he told them, his horned helmet fixating on the spot in the centre of the room. "Even with the reaper incapacitated we don't know how long it'll take his agents to find us once we do this."</p><p>"Once we're on the other side it won't matter" the ogre scoffed, breaking his contest with the hulk to join the calm soldier. "Not even the Angel of Death will stop me from eradicating the mortals."</p><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the demoness asked, a hint of concern in her expression. "The rumours about the reaper's demise are still just rumours. How can you be sure…?"</p><p>"Trust me, the old man has finally kicked the bucket. No one has seen or heard from him in weeks. The guys an egotist. If he was alive then he would've made sure we all knew it."</p><p>"I agree with the troll" the bat creature hissed.</p><p>"I am not a troll!" the berserker snapped.</p><p>"You all sound the same to me" it said dismissively. It tilted its head listening for something and Jackson worried it might have found him. "We are being watched" it told them.</p><p>"We're always being watched" the hulk dismissed lumbering closer to the group. "Now why are we here? If this mortal really can open the gateway to the mortal world why not bring an army?"</p><p>"You saying you don't want to leave this hellish dimension?" the demoness asked curtly.</p><p>"The lumbering oaf has a point" the ogre scowled. "We all serve our Dark Lord but we're not generals or leaders. Why not lead with them?"</p><p>Before the armoured figure could answer a deep rumbling voice spoke out from the shadows. "Chaos" it said simply. The others all turned to face the obscured figure, bowing their heads and kneeling before the large shape standing in the darkness. Jack couldn't see who they were bowing to from his position but could feel his dark presence. Whoever this was he was bad news.</p><p>"My lord" the armoured figure spoke, his head facing the ground respectfully. "Everything is ready."</p><p>"And yet the gateway remains closed?" the voice asked, two large piercing red eyes staring down at them.</p><p>The soldier hesitated before answering. "We cannot know the complexities surrounding our agent's actions.</p><p>"With the reaper out of commission we cannot afford to waste precious time. All our hopes rest on this mortal opening the way into the mortal realm. I hope your precious asset lives up to our expectations. For your sake."</p><p>"He has the blood of the sacrifice and the will to do what is needed. He will fulfil his promise."</p><p>They are suddenly interrupted by a flash of light in the middle of the room, surprising the creatures as they all backed away to witness a glowing tear materialise in the shimmering air. "Finally" the demoness smiled jumping to her feet circling the rip in space. "My ticket out of this hell."</p><p>The ogre grunted examining the wavering portal. "It's unrefined. You sure it'll allow us entry?"</p><p>The armoured solder examined the gateway as it flickered and glowed, orange eyes surveying the crackling edges. "He is dedicated but still only a mortal. Nevertheless, he has proven his worth."</p><p>"Now go my vanguard" the voice ordered, booming across the empty space. "Cross into the mortal world and make the necessary preparations."</p><p>"What about us?" the bat asked creeping closer to the gateway.</p><p>"I'll cross alone and stabilise the portal" the vanguard assured them. "After that you are free to invade and have your fun."</p><p>Before he could step forward the voice boomed in warning. "Remember, this is merely the distraction for the Well's forces. The true invasion must not be hindered. If this mortal cannot perform the necessary task than you shall dispose of him and open the breach yourself. Am I understood?"</p><p>"Yes Lord Marchosias" he replied, bowing once more before walking forward.</p><p>Jack watched as the figure stepped onto the glowing portal, vanishing into thin air before his eyes. <em>A portal to the mortal world</em>. His hopes rose with the idea of escaping the afterlife, returning home and seeing his parents again. His heart skipped a beat in anticipation, his muscles tensing willing to make a run for the gateway.</p><p>
  <em>No, stop! There's five bloody demons in your way! You'll never make it. Better to sit still and wait for them to leave and then run for the portal.</em>
</p><p>Jack took a breath, calming his racing mind listening to his common sense and waiting. "Well, what do we have here?" a sickening voice hissed above his head. Jack whirled around looking up to find a giant spider crawling down the wall towards him, large sharp talons opening to reveal a wide grin as six think legs punched into the loose bricks supporting a massive scaled body. "It's rude to eavesdrop mortal" the creature said delightfully, its face covered by a smooth scale hiding its eyes and revealing an insect-like maw drooling with saliva. "Perhaps you can join us for dinner?"</p><p>Jack hurriedly backed away as its drool landed on the ground, sizzling like acid at his feet. "Ah, hi?" he stammered, pushing his brain into overdrive to come up with something clever. His legs wanted to run but he knew he wouldn't get far before the spider caught him. <em>Come on smart ass, start talking</em>. "Sorry, I'm…um…<em>lost!</em> There was this guy, said he was a… a wraith. We got separated and…"</p><p>"Who's this then?" a female voice asked from behind him just as he suddenly tripped over his own feet. Falling on his backside Jack looked up to find the rest of the group standing over him, teeth and weapons bared staring down at him. "Well aren't you young" the demoness commented standing over him with her hands on her hips.</p><p>"Found him skulking in the shadows" the spider reported, towering next to the hulk as he glared down at him. "Looks pretty tasty too."</p><p>"How much did he see?" the ogre asked holding his axe.</p><p>"Enough" the bat hissed. "I told you we were being watched."</p><p>The slim demoness knelt down in front of Jackson, who was cowering on the floor looking up at the five of them. "Who are you? Why were you watching us" she asked politely.</p><p>"I wasn't" he blurted, his breath panting rapidly. "I was… I was attacked. These things came out of nowhere, hollow eyes… some guy told me to run to a Well? I don't know what's happening. Where am I?"</p><p>"You're a lost soul?" she asked, her expression turning to one of pity. "Aw, poor dear. Don't be afraid. The afterlife can be a scary place, but you'll be safe."</p><p>"That's debatable" the ogre scowled. The demoness shot him a look as she examined the boy, seeing the wound in his chest. Jack stared back at her, sensing real compassion from this woman. "How can we be sure he's not one of the Well's spies?" he asked.</p><p>"This is a mortal wound" she replied gesturing to the boy. "And not one a mortal can survive."</p><p>"So can I eat this morsel or not?" the spider asked.</p><p>"Fools" the voice boomed from behind them. Jack looked past them to see the large shape watching from the shadows staring back at him. "Can none of you sense the essence of life from this remnant?"</p><p>At the word of <em>remnant</em> the creatures flinched, sparking him into immediate action. He recalled what happened when the soulless tried to attack him, using it to his advantage as his hand shot out and grabbed the woman's outstretched arm. She recoiled as his hand caught her wrist, staring in horror at the boy holding her tightly. But nothing happened. She experienced no pain and Jack didn't feel anything surge from his skin. As he stared the ogre sprinted forward and kicked him hard, knocking him aside releasing the woman. "Well that was anti-climactic" she muttered rubbing her wrist.</p><p>"Remnants are only toxic in the afterlife" the ogre explained standing over the winded boy. "And right now there's enough energy seeping through that portal to negate any harmful effects he may have had."</p><p><em>Wish someone had told me that</em> Jack thought rolling onto his back, staring up at the menacing berserker hovering over him. "Please. Just let me go" he begged.</p><p>"Sorry mortal" he said with a grin. "If you were to reach the Well of Souls then they'd learn what we have planned. And our Lord's invasion must not be hindered. But don't worry. The second time is supposed to be less painful I'm told."</p><p>The others stood back and watched as the green skinned warrior brought his axe over his head, preparing to bring it down on the helpless young man as he cowered on the floor at their feet. "No, please! No!" he pleaded closing his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Not again!</em>
</p><p>Before he could bring his axe down the demons were suddenly bathed in a shower of blinding light. They all recoiled covering their eyes as something fell down between them and the boy, kicking up a dust cloud in all their faces. Jackson felt a billowing wind against his face as he kept his eyes tightly shut, black dots dancing across his vision behind his eyelids. "What is that?" he heard one of the creatures ask, finally opening his eyes to meet the blinding white light glowing in front of him.</p><p>Holding up his hand he peered through his fingers to see a figure standing over him looking at the startled demons. Her slender form showcased a custom fitting set of leather armour, brown boots and bracers and a grey skirt falling above her knees. One hand held a glowing spear, the staff made of oak wood with a silver blade head and a sharp pommel at the opposite end. Her blonde hair billowed in the wind currents generated by the glistening grey wings branching out of her shoulder blades, feathers spread proud and defensively.</p><p>"What's the matter?" Freya asked them, glaring back at them while Jack stared up at her in shock. "Never seen holy light before?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>20</p><p>The grey street was frozen in stunned silence as the light faded from the sky, leaving the glistening figure standing between the demons and the startled young remnant. The winged girl squared her shoulders at the five creatures glaring at her, baring their claws and teeth as she bared her wings aggressively. Her silver spear glinted with light in her right hand, her blue eyes narrowed watching them intently. "Freya?" Jackson stammered staring up at the girl, lying on the ground shuffling from the glowing aura around her. "You're a… You're a…"</p><p>She glanced behind her to look at him, her blond hair falling around her face. "I'm glad to see you're okay" she said with a tiny smile. Following Marcus's advice she thought back to the memories she'd witnessed when Jack was being judged, arriving in time to see the demons open the breach in the fabric of reality. She stayed out of sight and intended to call in help from Azrael, but when she saw Jack down below in trouble she had to step in and help. Marcus would call it impulsive, reckless, advising her to stay back and wait for back up. But she couldn't stay back from this. He needed her help. "Now, are any of you supposed to be out here?" she asked turning back to the demons brandishing her weapon.</p><p>The five of them scowled as they faced the young angel, the green berserker stepping forward twirling his battle axe in his hand. "Well, if it isn't the Grim Reaper's little lap dog" he growled, painting two fresh orange lines across his face marking himself for battle. "What's the matter child?" he said taunting her. "Lost without your master, little pup? Why don't I help you join him in Hell?"</p><p>Freya felt her emotions flare into a rage at his words, screaming in outrage as she launched herself at the warrior. "YOU FIRST DEMON SCUM!"</p><p>The berserker sprinted forward to meet her, bringing the axe over his head as she raised her spear. She hated it when people talked down to her like that. Hated it even more when they mocked Marcus to her face. She wanted to defend him, defend the name of the man who raised her. No matter what. Jackson watched as she lunged at the demon, their weapons clashing with sparks screaming at one another.</p><p><em>You've got to be kidding me</em>, he thought. <em>She's an angel? Why didn't I see this?</em> It all felt so clear now looking back. The magic across her bedroom door. Her relationship with Azrael. The fact he's the <em>only</em> mortal in the Well of Souls. <em>Except for Marcus, but he's… I don't know what he is.</em></p><p>"Let them kill each other" a voice said from behind him. He turned back to see the massive spider demon towering over him, opening it's maw wide raising its front legs as sharp talons glinted in the pale light. "All the more for me" it said gleefully, bringing them down to impale the young mortal. Jack dived out of the way at the last moment, avoiding the spider and staying alive a little longer. He put his brain into overdrive hoping to come up with a plan, relying on his gut reflexes in an attempt of surviving as long as possible.</p><p>Across the street Freya clashed with the berserker, snarling in fury at him pushing her weight against him trying to force him back. Her anger obscured her vision, tunnelling on the ogre, before she caught the shape falling over her out the corner of her eye. <em>Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement girl</em>, Marcus's voice cut through her fury, snapping her back to thinking logically like she was trained. She threw her weight back, kicking up at the berserker launching herself back across the concrete just as the hulking titan smashed a fist into the ground. The impact threw the two combatants back, the berserker colliding with the wall stunned while she rolled back to her feet using her wings to slow her to a stop regaining her footing. She scolded herself for acting so foolishly, her mentor's voice berating her in her head as she analysed her new opponent. "Hold still pipsqueak!" the hulk yelled charging towards her, throwing another fist at her.</p><p>She sidestepped his arm with ease, using her small size and speed against the large slow demon. His hand crashed into the ground leaving his side wide open for her to lunge her spear into his flesh. "Not fast enough!" she taunted, allowing a small laugh as the hulk screams in frustration flinging his arm back at her. She kicked up into the air, floating up with a flap of her wings out of his reach. "Missed me!" she chuckled looking down at the angry grey demon.</p><p>"AVOID THIS CHILD!" a hissing voice shouted as the bat creature came barrelling towards her. His arms were outstretched with bat wings unfolded, gliding in her direction following the sound of her breathing and her wings. It bared its teeth snarling as Freya spun to confront him. Her spear was brought around with its tip glowing with light, channelling her magic through the weapon directing it towards the bat. It screamed in agony as a beam of energy shot from the tip tearing through his body, its head bursting into ash as the top half of its torso exploded in a burst of pale yellow light. Its scream was silenced leaving it to fall out of the sky and land in a heap.</p><p>"STAY STILL MORTAL!" the spider yelled, stabbing wildly as Jackson dodged and weaved around the cumbersome creature.</p><p>He had no idea what he was doing, flailing wildly avoiding her legs and jaws. "Sorry, diner's cancelled! Argh!" he cried out as his energy finally waned enough for one of her sharp talons to cut through his leg, opening a gash in his skin where blood poured out.</p><p>"Good. I like my meal with a bit of spice" the spider hissed laughing, watching Jack limp away frantically.</p><p>"Don't you ever learn not to play with your food?" the demoness muttered watching the spider demon play with the mortal. Her tail twitched as he stumbled away in her direction, stepping around the wall to block his escape. He instinctively lashed out, throwing a punch at her which connected with her shoulder. She retaliated brandishing her nails, slashing at his face knocking him to the ground. "Rude" she said disapprovingly.</p><p>Freya landed back on the ground, spinning on the spot, quickly marking the location of each of the demons as fast as she could. The ogre was finally rising back to his feet inside the hollowed building, ignoring the glowing portal to retrieve his axe. In the other direction the giant spider walked patiently towards the red demoness, who was standing over Jackson reaching down to wrap her hand around his throat. Before she could run over to help she sensed a presence behind her, glancing back to see the grey hulk charging towards her. "I have you now, you pigeon!" he bellowed, both fists raised coming down like a massive hammer. She reacted fast, springing straight up into a backflip over his head, her wings folding around her knees tucking into a ball as the titan sailed beneath her. "GET DOWN HERE!"</p><p>She waited until she was directly overhead before uncurling her body, driving her feet down into the back of the demon's neck feeling a firm <em>crack</em> underneath her boots. The hulk flew down to the ground, flung forward by its momentum and the clever implementation of directed force despite her size. It crashed down to the floor with the angel standing on its back, spinning the spear around so it pointed down towards him. "You may be bigger, but I'm faster and smarter" she told it, taking the spear and plunging it through the back of his skull as the silver metal ignited with magic. The beast's face exploded with light and energy, frozen in an eternal scream as he was burned from the inside out.</p><p>Jack hung in the demon's grasp choking in her hand, his legs kicking underneath his body lifted off the floor. The red woman looked up at him, mildly amused as how pitiful he looked grasping at her arm. "Sorry mortal" she said bluntly. "Nothing personal you understand? But we have our orders."</p><p>Jack wasn't about to give up, but this demon was stronger than he was and his toxic touch wasn't working at all. <em>Come on! Do something!</em> He prayed, swatting at her powerful arm with his fist. He felt her nails dig into his skin around his throat, losing air with each second. As he panicked trying to break her hold he felt a warm heat igniting in his hand, just like when he broke through the barrier back in Freya's bedroom. He looked down to find the brand on his right hand glowing again, quickly grabbing the demon's wrist with it as it flared with orange flames. The demoness screamed with painful agony, releasing the mortal cradling her arm as smoke floated from the smouldering flesh. Jack fell to his knees sucking in air, keeping his glowing hand away as fire continued to flicker around his fingers. "How..?" the red woman asked staring down at the burn on her wrist, looking back at the remnant who was crawling away.</p><p>Opposite her the spider grew bored of waiting. "Enough messing around" it yelled. "Time to die!"</p><p>Jack felt a surge of adrenaline giving him a second wind, fury burning behind his eyes fuelling the fire in his hand. "I fucking hate spiders!" he growled, reacting on impulse spinning around to throw his fist forward in a punch. His anger ignited a fireball around his knuckles, connecting to the spiders dome faceplate with a sickening <em>crunch</em> as a glowing orange symbol matching the brand on his palm materialised around the impact zone. The spider was thrown back landing in a heap, hissing in pain while Jackson stared at the energy orbiting his hand.</p><p>
  <em>This is getting insane.</em>
</p><p>While he was getting his bearings the berserker burst out of the ruins to charge at the angel hopping off his fallen comrade. She heard him coming but was unable leap out the way as he caught her ankle, throwing her against the ground. They parried each other's attacks trading blows, her spear versus his axe, glaring at one another fighting relentlessly. "You shouldn't have come here girl" he snarled, swinging his axe down nearly cleaving her face in two before she blocked it with the shaft. Her arms strained to hold the powerful ogre at bay, digging her heels into the ash pushing against him. His face closed in as he taunted her again. "What will your babysitter think when I send you back to him in pieces?"</p><p>"I won't need to find out" she replied. With a twist of her heel Freya spun her hips to the side, pulling the axe out of the berserker's hands sending it twirling through the air. She felt a breath of exhilaration as she watched it soar away, finally putting that move Azrael taught her into practice before bashing her opponent across the face with an elbow.</p><p>The battle axe spun through the space between the buildings, landing with a <em>thunk</em> in the concrete a few feet away from where the spider was struggling with Jackson, pinning him to the ground trying to stab one of its talons into his body. "So the mortal has a few tricks" it hissed, keeping out of reach of the boy's right hand as he swung it back and forth, flames flickering at his fingertips. "But tricks won't save your life."</p><p>"I'm still here aren't I?" he retorted trying to scurry out from under the creature.</p><p>"Not for long" it laughed, spitting acid at him. The torrent struck his shoulder, narrowly missing his face, corroding through his clothes into the pink skin beneath as he howled in pain. "Acidic saliva to soften your flesh" it cackled.</p><p>"Solid boot to buy me more time" he grunted, connecting his foot to its jaw in a desperate kick. The pain was excruciating as the acid burned into his skin, but he fought through it in order to crawl across the ground away from the spider. Looking up he saw the axe buried in the ground, pushing himself towards it while the demon shook its stunned head.</p><p>"You're going to pay for that" it yelled, clambering after him catching up with ease. He had only seconds to reach out and grab the weapon, the brand on his hand still glowing when his fingers wrapped around the handle. "Any last words?" he heard the demon ask behind him.</p><p>"Go to Hell!" he cried out, swinging the axe over his head at the giant spider demon. In a burst of fury, fiery energy shot through the handle into the blade igniting the steel moments before the enchanted axe split the spider's faceplate in two burying itself into the demons skull. There was a bellowing howl that startled every soulless creature in a twelve mile radius, shaking the crumbling ruins as a powerful shockwave rippled through the monster. Jack didn't know what he'd done. His brand channelled its power through the weapon, empowering it enough to slay the great monster in one hit. He watched as it crumpled to the ground lifeless at his feet.</p><p>He jumped back in shock, releasing the handle leaving the axe embedded in the creature's skull, staring down at his hand as it returned to normal. His heart was racing from all the adrenaline as an eerie calm fell over the street. The battle was over. He checked over his body, examining the wounds and scars that had somehow stopped bleeding, looking at his hand staring at the brand. <em>What are you?</em> In the shadows a towering figure watched the young mortal with interest, its red eyes narrowing before backing away to disappear into the darkness. It had plans to attend to, but he made sure to remember this mortal in case he became a problem.</p><p>"You okay?" a voice asked him grabbing his attention.</p><p>He flinched on reflex, his muscles tensing up until he realised it was Freya standing over him looking concerned. His shoulders relaxed and he released a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Thanks for showing up" he said, suddenly exhausted. He looked up as the girl knelt down to examine his wounds, examining her more closely in case she was hurt. Unsurprisingly she came out looking far better than he did. "Where's the other one? The red lady with the horns?" he asked looking around the area.</p><p>"She bolted" Freya shrugged, casting a quick glance at her surroundings. After she put down the berserker she had turned around in time to see the spider demon fall, astounded that Jack had managed to kill the beast alone. Running to his side she did a head count and found the last demon nowhere to be seen. She figured she'd fled back into limbo or whichever realm she hailed from. She stood up to face the lifeless monster before them. "I can't believe you managed to kill that thing" she said in wonder.</p><p>"You and me both" he replied. He was just as surprised and confused. But while he felt disbelief Freya felt hope. Like her suspicions may really be true. She held out her hand, offering to help the mortal to his feet so he could dust himself off. He stood in front of her staring, eyes wide looking back at her wings. "So…" he said unsteadily, wondering how to put this. "You're an angel?"</p><p>"You sound surprised" she said smirking.</p><p>He shrugged. "You just failed to mention it."</p><p>"You never asked" she replied chuckling, turning away to stride off ruffling her feathers for emphasis. He rubbed his eyes feeling rather stupid, following closely behind her as she made her way through the buildings towards the glowing portal within. She felt an unsettling shiver run down her spine as she approached the shimmering tear in reality. It stood in the centre of the ruined building. It was no longer flickering, indicating the portal stabilised. It was wide open and available for all to pass through. She stood before the threshold peering unto the glowing barrier, like seeing through a window out into the next world. She could feel the air of the living world on the other side like a draft, the energy contradicting that of limbo seeping into the air around them. It didn't belong. And what doesn't belong is like a beacon to everyone who can sense it. "We need to close this breach" she said quietly.</p><p>Jackson came up beside her looking at the portal, feeling drawn to the world across the barrier. "Does this really go to the living world?" he asked her, tentatively reaching out towards it.</p><p>"I believe so" she replied lost in thought. She was recalling all the times she helped Marcus close breaches just like this one. <em>These things are like a magnet to supernatural entities, </em>he would tell her as she obediently listened. <em>If it remains open, god only knows how many entities will come running. We can't let them escape, no matter what. </em>She turned to look at the remnant beside her, seeing the look in his eyes as he stared longingly through the gateway. "I'm sorry" she said reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>She could see his disappointment, feeling bad for him as his expression dropped. "I can't go back, can I?" he asked.</p><p>She shook her head guiltily. "You might be toxic over here, but you'll be just as much an outcast over there. You don't have a place in the world of the living anymore."</p><p>"Story of my life" he muttered taking a step back. He understood perfectly, letting her do her thing. "So how does this work? Can you close it?"</p><p>She turned her attention back to the portal, taking a deep breath as she retracted her spear with a subtle gesture. The silver blade melded into the shaft and shrunk into its dormant six inch long rod, which she hooked into its holster at the base of her spine. "I think so. Azrael taught me a few spells that should work. And Marcus showed me what to do. As long as I'm not interrupted I can do this." <em>I hope</em>, she thought.</p><p>"What about the demon that crossed through already?"</p><p><em>Damn it,</em> she thought forgetting about him. "I don't know" she told him. "We'll have to deal with it after. Right now this is a massive threat to the mortal world." She felt a twinge of panic creeping up her spine, resolving to report this incursion to Azrael so he could take care of it. Her role was to ensure no more demons got out. Marcus always told her doubt was a dangerous emotion, worse than fear. A moment of hesitation could kill her. So she needed to focus on her ability to do the job. "<em>Focus on the job and save the world</em>" she whispered, repeating the mantra in her head just as Marcus taught her. <em>Until the barrier is closed, nothing else matters. All that matters is the task at hand.</em> Bringing her hands up, she began the process of sealing the breach, tracing the necessary runes with her magic through the air.</p><p>Her attention was so focused on the task she failed to register movement across the street behind her.</p><p>Jack hovered a few steps behind her, watching with interest as the runes glowed with a pale yellow light around the portal, the angel's sigil materialising in the air before her. "So…is there anything I can do?" he asked the girl. He felt rather useless hopping from one foot to the other.</p><p>She glanced back at him patiently. "Just let me do my thing. I need to concentrate on…"</p><p>"NOW YOU DIE!" a voice bellowed from behind her, startling both of them. Freya tried to turn around and see the impending threat. But with her spell already underway she couldn't just drop it without risking leaving the portal exposed. As a result she was vulnerable to attack as the attacker lunged at her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>21</p><p>"LOOK OUT!" Jackson cried diving in between the two of them, colliding with the berserker demon as he lunged towards the vulnerable angel. The two of them fell to the ground rolling away from the portal in a scuffle.</p><p>Freya called out to Jack as she spotted them struggling with one another over her shoulder. She thought she'd sufficiently dispatched that guy after slashing at him with her spear, cutting the deep gash across his forehead. Now she was torn between finishing the mission and helping the remnant against this demon. <em>I can't leave this open</em>, she told herself. <em>Once it's closed I can deal with the demon. But what if Jack can't hold it off like he did with the spider?</em> She ultimately steeled her emotions, obeying her mentor's words of ignoring everything but the task at hand. If she can seal the portal fast she can help. But until then, regrettably, Jackson was on his own.</p><p>Jack was punching wildly at the berserker, who in turn was pummelling him just as hard as they stumbled into the street. "Stay away from her" Jack growled keeping the demon away from his new friend. He tried to summon the fire in his hand again but the brand wouldn't ignite for some reason. He had no idea how it activated the last time so he was left defenceless with only his wits against the warrior.</p><p>"You can't stop what's coming" the ogre said as it pinned Jack's arms to the floor. Jack wasn't sure if it was aware of the brand and was disarming him, but ultimately it left him kicking and cursing at him unable to escape. The berserker glared down at him snarling. "She's an angel you don't want to align yourself with boy" he told Jack. "She has very dangerous friends. And more importantly she's on the losing side."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Jack asked straining against him.</p><p>The ogre chuckled. "Our master has plans for your world. Plans for all of the dark realms. But neither you nor she will live to witness his ascension."</p><p>He adjusted his grip to reach down and lock one of his hands around Jack's throat with the intention of choking the life out of him. Jack stared back up at him, struggling to breathe until there was a sudden boom behind the demon. Before the ogre could turn around a shadow appeared behind him and stabbed through his chest. The ebony coloured blade pierced the demon's skin, a faint blue mist swirling around the metal turning his flesh as black as soot. He screamed hollowly as the mist engulfed his body, disintegrating him to ash, freeing Jackson from his grip.</p><p>"What just happened?" Jack sputtered, waving the dust from his eyes looking up at the glowing blade now pointing down at him. As the ash cloud dissipated the figure came into view, glaring down at the mortal holding the sword firmly. "Oh..." he muttered realising who it was standing over him. <em>Now I'm in trouble</em>.</p><p>"You seem to have a habit of causing trouble don't you?" Azrael said in his gravelly voice, ghostly still aiming his blade at Jack's head.</p><p>"The breach is closed!" Freya called out, watching the portal shrink down to nothing vanishing into thin air. With the gateway closed she was free to spin back, fearful for Jack's safety "Jack! Are you..?"</p><p>She froze when she saw the Azrael standing there, his cold gaze turning back to watch her come to a stop. "Hello kid" he said coldly. "Did you forget something?"</p><p>"Azrael!" Freya's demeanour changed and Jack witnessed her switch from the confident and strong willed protector who'd fought the monsters and saved his life to the quiet, nervous, trembling little girl he'd first met in the Well. "I was just…"</p><p>"You failed to inform me you found the remnant" he interrupted her. "And not only that but you failed to tell me you'd come across an incursion point. What were you thinking you stupid child?"</p><p>Her wings folded around her like a protective shell. Like the girl wanted to disappear as she looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry. I just… I thought I could…"</p><p>The dark skinned warrior shook his head in disappointment. "Didn't you learn your lesson from last time? You can't just run off and hope everything will work out. If I hadn't noticed the warning at the Well about the breach I may never had arrived here. Where I should've been. But instead I was looking for you!" He looked back at Jack as he snapped. He'd been trying to find the remnant and missed the opening of the portal, slowing his response. "You're lucky there wasn't an army waiting down here. Stupid girl."</p><p>"Hey!" Jack snapped leaping up to his feet, stepping between the two angels, glaring angrily at the taller man. "It's not her fault. If she hadn't been here when she was I would've been demon food by now. She saved my life!"</p><p>"This isn't your business boy!" Azrael growled. "This is between me and the girl."</p><p>"She beat those demons like a boss" he said defending her. She looked up at him feeling a small hint of pride as he spoke up on her behalf. "She killed those monsters and she closed the portal. As far as I'm concerned she should get a "well done" or a "thank you." Not this bullshit. I'm sorry I'm responsible for you not noticing this happening but she was here instead." He paused to turn back and look the young angel in the eye as he finished. "I'm glad you were here to save me."</p><p>She looked back at him, a smile on her face as her cheeks flushed red. She had never been thanked before. Never gotten so much praise from a mortal like this. It felt strange, but good. The last time she'd acted in defence of a mortal she'd been… It wasn't a pleasant experience. And Marcus always considered it a waste of time unless in the line of duty, saying there were bigger threats to address.</p><p>Azrael looked over the boy's shoulder at her, exhaling through his nose loudly. "Did you at least prevent all the demons from escaping?" he asked. He saw the hesitant look on both their faces and scowled. "Great" he sighed. <em>Another mess I'll have to clean up, </em>he thought<em>.</em> "Come on. We're going back to the Well to settle this" he told them sheathing his sword. "And stay close. I don't have time to babysit both of you."</p><p>The Angel of Death marched away across the street, refusing to wait for the two younger figures to compose themselves, expecting them to follow. Freya felt like a failure cowering within her wings, holding them like a safety blanket. Jack rubbed his eyes sighing in frustration staying by the girl's side. "Is he always so…" he asked, looking for the word. He hated that guy. Hated how he spoke to her, taking one mistake and ignoring everything else she'd done here. "Hostile?"</p><p>"He hasn't even started yet" she replied sadly. She recognised the signs. She was in for a serious reprimand when they got back. She should've called for backup. She shouldn't have engaged the demons alone. She shouldn't have left the Well without telling Azrael.</p><p>Jack stood awkwardly next to her, watching as a tear fell down her cheek. "Are you okay?" he asked, nervously reaching out wanting to comfort her but unsure if touching the girl's wings was…<em>permitted?</em> <em>I have no idea what I'm doing? </em>The universe answered for him when he saw her flinch away, colour shrivelling from her feathers inches from where his fingers nearly came in contact. Jack realised with the portal closed he was suddenly a toxic remnant again. He pulled away afraid of what he might do to her.</p><p>She glanced away to wipe her face, embarrassed about nearly crying in front of him. "I'm fine" she said, taking a deep breath before turning back to face him. "Thanks for sticking up for me." It was his turn to blush shrugging his shoulders. They stood in awkward silence before realising how far away Azrael was getting. "We have to go" she said quickly running after him, urging Jack to keep up as they both sprinted down the street to catch up with him.</p><p>The corridor was dark and gloomy as the vanguard walked slowly towards the shrine dedicated to his master, the offerings scattered purposefully upon the chest of drawers glittering in the candle light. Above them the large portrait of a powerful creature with a serpent's tail, griffin wings and a wolf's body watched over them. The crude drawing didn't do the dark lord justice. The hooded mortal knelt respectfully a few feet behind him as he examined the shrine, musing at how much mortals looked to powers beyond their comprehension without realising the potential they bestowed. It made the scaled demon chuckle, coating his fingers in the bowl of blood where the sacrificial knife waited to be used once more. <em>Impressive.</em></p><p>He had his doubts when first his master was contacted by the mortal, who had spilt his own blood in his honour to grant an audience. But as the vanguard followed his progress he found a level of depravity within him that was rare even amongst some of the coldest of killers, especially in one so young. They began with a test of loyalty, which he carried out without question. After that preparations needed to be made, artefacts such as this knife had to be gathered before he could open the gateway through the veil. Over a year of planning had gone into this. But even so, the vanguard had doubts. They hadn't intended to move so soon but the opportunity presented itself. One they couldn't ignore. "Can you assure us you will follow our instructions and do what must be required?" he asked the mortal, his gaze fixed on the blood settled upon the alter.</p><p>"Yes" he replied. "I am loyal only to our cause. I will open the way for <em>our</em> dark lord, with your guidance."</p><p>"Good" he smiled removing the helmet and placing it beside the bowl. Dipping his fingers in the red liquid he tasted the offering, the sacrificial nectar deliciously sweet. It'll take another sacrifice to pierce the veil of reality. But he was confident of their success. Should the mortal fail, the vanguard will step in and use his blood instead.</p><p>Yet he still had doubts. The strike party had failed to follow behind him after he stabilised the breach, their distraction thwarted. He had waited beside the hooded figure expecting a rush to cross the threshold, hundreds of unsuspecting mortals waiting to be slaughtered outside the boarded windows. Alas he was left disappointed and curious, compelled to return to limbo to see what had befallen his comrades. That was until he saw her face through the tear looking back towards him. He didn't falter as he stepped forward, committing the young angel to memory. She couldn't see him from her side the way he could see her, watching silently as she used her magic to close the portal leaving him in the dark. The failure of the demons wasn't a concern. The mission was to bring him to the land of the living. The Well of Souls will no doubt be alerted to the breach today but it won't change the outcome. Without the reaper in play their army will march on this world and reduce it to ash and rubble. And on the day of their ascension he will seek out this girl and cut her down where she stood.</p><p>"Now" the vanguard declared, looking up at his master's portrait addressing the patient mortal smiling under his hood. "Let us begin."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>22</p><p>The obsidian structure has been floating in the void of creation since the dawn of time, standing as a monument to the cosmic forces that made it brick by brick, growing and expanding over the centuries into a glistening fortress. Planet sized statues bordered the walls looking out in all directions, standing guard over the multiverse branching out around it. Each face resembled a champion, immortalized forever in stone with more scattered within. Millennia of protectors, warriors, defenders, rulers, a thousand faces of a single entity.</p><p>
  <em>A thousand faces of death.</em>
</p><p>In a small alcove overlooking the vast space of sparkling universes and multicolored clusters sat a gateway, the solid round base supporting twin curved obelisks as a holographic orb hovered within the centre. The structure stood silent until the translucent image faded away, a dull hum rising from the obelisks as energy ignited from the multiverse. With a thunderous boom a swirling a portal filled with a rainbow of colors opened atop the pedestal. "Do you know how reckless you were being thinking you could engage the enemy alone?" Azrael's voice boomed as the angel stepped out of the portal onto the black rock of the Well of Souls.</p><p>The second angel followed close behind him, her wings steadying her balance in the swirling winds generated by the portal. They continued to argue with one another while Jack stumbled out of the gateway to the ground, fighting a queasy stomach. "I can take can of myself" Freya argued. The walk to the bridge was short but it was enough time for her to gather her nerves and engage the angel of death in a verbal debate while quaking in her boots.</p><p>"That may be true but it was still foolish. You should've called me the moment you discovered the breach and waited."</p><p>"I know, but listen…"</p><p>"And because of that one of them has infiltrated the mortal world. Which I now have to find and hopefully bring back before he opens another breach to bring more of his kind across."</p><p>Jack stopped listening to their bickering, turning back instead to watch the rainbow portal vanish leaving the pedestal just as it was when he found it hours earlier. After a minute his stomach stopped threatening to empty what was left and make him throw up, rising back to his feet slowly following the two of them into the dark caverns.</p><p>"At least you did prevent the rest of those demons from escaping" Azrael relented, growing tired of recounting the same points over and over. "And closed the breach."</p><p>"I didn't do it alone" Freya explained, glancing back at Jackson as he tried to keep up. "He helped. Azrael, he killed one of the demons all by himself. And if he wasn't there…" She paused realizing if she admitted Jack's intervention was the only reason the berserker didn't kill her and stop her mission she'd be sabotaging her own point in the argument. But from the way the warrior glanced over at her she guessed he already knew that part. "He was able to fight them, even with the portal negating his radiation."</p><p>"So" he said gruffly. "I've seen mortals weaker than him scrap against soulless for survival and sometimes get out alive. Fight or flight is not exclusive to angels, girl."</p><p>"Think about though! He finds his way out of the Well of Souls and just happens to find the location of a breach site?"</p><p>Azrael pauses and thinks on it. "You're right. That is suspicious. All the more reason to keep him locked up wouldn't you agree?"</p><p>Freya looked at him realizing how she'd made it sound. "No! No no no, that's not what I… He's not involved in this. They were going to kill him. I'm saying of all the sites they could've chosen it just happened to be the one place he runs to?" She stopped digging before she couldn't find her way out, trying to just be blunt instead. "He was lead there. Something guided him to that place and lead <em>us</em> right to them."</p><p>"What?" he asked her, humoring the girl a moment. She tilted her head, the unspoken theory all over her face. "Oh, not this again" he sighed turning his back on her.</p><p>"He's been chosen Azrael!" she insisted chasing after him. "The Well hasn't intervened in centuries during a judgement and suddenly it rescues this remnant from oblivion. And then he helps prevent a massive incursion. You must see there's something too all this right?"</p><p>"It's a string of coincidences that you have connected to something that isn't possible" he dismissed crossing into a massive chamber.</p><p>"No such thing as a coincidence remember" she repeated, echoing her mentor's words.</p><p>"You really expect me to believe the Well helped this boy out of the fortress, travel across the soul bridge to discover a breach in the hopes he won't get himself or you killed? Ridicules!"</p><p>"You know I'm still here right?" Jackson spoke up from behind them. He'd been following since the soul bridge and had finally gotten fed up of listening to them speak about him like he was invisible. He didn't understand what they were talking about or what he was supposed to be <em>chosen</em> for. All he wanted was an explanation to what was going on.</p><p>His question went unanswered as he stepped into the cavern space, looking up to discover the three of them hadn't walked into a cavern but rather into a massive courtyard overlooking an inner cliff. The obsidian rock faces rose twenty stories above him opening up to the vast void of space. Multicolored clusters of stars and particles drifted across the ink black background like a Van Gogh painting. Jackson stared in wonder as his gaze circled around the space, finding giant statues of figures clad in armor or cloaks brandishing weapons looking out into the void silently. His eyes darted from one figure to the next and realized some similarities between each of them. Such as they all carried the same weapon, a scythe. Lowering his gaze he followed Azrael as he marched into the center of the courtyard, walking up to a raised platform overhanging the cliff hovering above a swirling cyclone mirroring the vortex beneath the fortress itself. A barrier protected viewers from toppling over as two dark stone sentries stood either side of the platform, looking down at the mortal suspiciously. Their expression was cold and unnerving, exactly like Azrael's. Jack crossed the empty space turning slowly, taking in the extraordinary sight he was looking at, nearly tripping over his feet only to discover the carvings in the floor. Symbols of countless languages crisscrossed large markings that made him think of the arcane arts. "This is incredible" he said breathlessly.</p><p>"If the Well was seriously going to choose a replacement for the reaper surely it would've chosen anyone but a remnant" Azrael stated, ignoring the boy's amazement as he sat in the large stone seat placed in the middle of the platform. At his presence the air ignited in a cloud of particles, forming a series of holographic shapes and screens for the Angel of Death to monitor.</p><p>Jack turned around and saw the display materialize around him, his jaw dropping as he stared in wonder. "You guys have your own holodeck?" he asked. Freya glanced back with a look of confusion and surprise, growing frustrated at Azrael's refusal to consider the possibility she was putting forward. Jack saw her expression and explained. "Star trek? Holographic terminals. This is so sci-fi it's not even funny."</p><p>"I never did much care for that fictional nonsense" a raspy voice said from behind them. Jack spun and was shocked to see the middle aged man he'd bumped into earlier. He was dressed in a pair of beige trousers and black shoes, his bare thin torso slumped against the wheelchair he pushed himself in on. The hurriedly stitched wound beneath his chest was prominent against his sickly pale skin, which withered like a dehydrated raisin. The man's somber expression regarded Jack with curious amusement as he drifted closer to the startled boy. "Curious that you are able to view what Azrael sees, given that only a telepathic link to the fortress grants you such sight."</p><p>"Marcus!" Freya cried quietly rushing to his side. "You shouldn't be out of bed! You have to rest."</p><p>"I'm fine, my girl" he insisted, brushing her off him with a frustrated scowl. "I'm dying but I'm not an invalid." He looked up to see her wavering, noticing the pained look in her eyes. "I'm sorry" he apologized taking her hand. "I just couldn't take another moment in that bloody bed when I could be doing something."</p><p>"You can start by reprimanding your ward" Azrael suggested, briefly nodding to the older man. "She let a demon loose in the mortal world and nearly got herself killed. <em>Again.</em>"</p><p>"That's not my fault!" Freya objected, stamping her foot angrily turning her back on him.</p><p>"Freya had my blessing to venture out on her own, old friend" the man explained, wincing from a small coughing fit. She smiled gratefully at him until he looked disapprovingly back at her. "But I don't approve of the part where you tried to fight the demons singlehandedly. You know its dangerous operating alone, especially when you are still technically in training. I don't want to see you getting hurt my girl."</p><p>Freya opened her mouth to say something, but then looked down nodding. "I'm sorry Marcus. It won't happen again."</p><p>"I hope you mean that" he said looking in her eyes. Jack quietly watched them trying to get a sense of their relationship. On the surface he would've guessed the man was her farther. But he couldn't see the resemblance. When Azrael called her his ward he guessed that made her more an adopted daughter, which explained the way she worried over him and looked up to him (figuratively speaking). The man gave her a comforting pat on the arm, finally addressing their guest with a smile. "Hello again. You remember me?"</p><p>"Marcus, right?" Jack nodded, recalling their last conversation. "You're looking worse than before."</p><p>Marcus chuckled loudly, igniting another coughing fit as Freya dashed forward to check on him. "That's putting it mildly. So how was your little trip back home?"</p><p>Jack's eyebrows raised at the question. He hadn't mentioned where he went or why he went there. He glanced up at Freya who shared a guilty look. "How did you..?"</p><p>"I used to be a detective" Marcus explained. "And the first thing they teach us when on a manhunt is to learn everything they can about them and then search all the likely places they'd run. Friends. Family. Associates. For you it was as simple as asking <em>where would lost boy run to</em>?"</p><p>"Neverland" he suggested jokingly. Freya was the only one to chuckle. "Sorry, I start telling jokes when I'm anxious. Which happens a lot. So what is this place?"</p><p>"The fortress, or the chamber?" Marcus asked, looking around the courtyard. Jack shrugged so the man assumed he meant both. "The structure operates as an outpost. A lookout for us to monitor all of creation. Or what you'd call the multiverse."</p><p>Jack followed Marcus's gesturing hand to the sky above them, looking up to the glimmering void. "That's the multiverse?" he asked. "It's…"</p><p>"Not what you were expecting?"</p><p>"I don't know what I was expecting. I've only just accepted there's an afterlife."</p><p>"Throughout history cultures have described many different alliterations of the afterlife and creation itself, each new voice giving their own vision and theory. I myself was an atheist when I first came here. You can imagine my surprise." Jack couldn't help but laugh as the older man wheeled up beside him, staring up into space. "It didn't take me long to discover all those men and women throughout history, every man of faith in all countries, they are all right but equally wrong. Creation is forever changing, evolving and expanding like a living organism. Time and space melding in perfect harmony forever in flux. What we see here is still only the tip of an infinite iceberg."</p><p>"It's beautiful" Jack said lost in the stunning view. He looked down to find Freya had joined them, staring up into the void. Her gaze however looked distant, her thoughts somewhere else. Jack wanted to ask her what she was thinking but decided not to pry. "So who are you people then?" he asked looking around the three of them. "Monitors of the universe?"</p><p>"Of a sort" Marcus replied shuffling to the platform. "You're standing in the observation deck, where we can indeed monitor the multiverse for disturbances in the fabric of reality. For balance to exist there must also be chaos, which sparks all manner of dangerous threats. What you witnessed in your hometown earlier is just one example. One instance where beings from one realm try to invade another. Limbo is the nexus, the cement that is holding the realms together like glue, but also operates as a bridge for invaders. As a result creation requires a gatekeeper to watch the borders."</p><p>"So you guys are like the cosmic border patrol?" Jack asked, his gaze switching from Marcus to Freya to Azrael looking doubtful. "Just the three of you?"</p><p>"Azrael has an army of wraiths at his command" Marcus told him. "As the protector of the fortress and the Well of Souls it's his duty to serve her in her quest for balance."</p><p>"Which includes disposing of remnants if need be" the man himself warned.</p><p>"Ignore him" Freya interjected. "Besides, Heaven and Hell usually like to take care of their own realms so it's not as hard a job as you might think" she continued.</p><p><em>Heaven and Hell?</em> Jack spun back to face her hoping she was joking. Her face said she wasn't. "Wait a minute. There is actually a… They exist?"</p><p>"Of course" Marcus answered. "You are talking to an angel are you not? And you just fought demons. Why would you think there wasn't a Heaven or Hell?" Jack didn't have an answer so Marcus explained. "At the dawn of creation there used to be two balancing forces, the light and the dark. Two hemispheres where life was born and forged. Worlds were made within each primal force, creating the realms that would be considered by historians as heaven, the City of Lights, and Hell, the Dark Realm. You may have heard similar interpretations of this creation story growing up. What they didn't teach you was that there's a third force. One forged directly between the light and darkness. Brought to life with the collision of opposing energies. This is the space where our universe, the mortal worlds, exist. We were born as a cosmic infusion of two primal forces. That is the scale of creation. That is the multiverse."</p><p><em>It's all true and equally wrong</em>, Jack echoed. "So what are you then?" he asked the withered old man. "Are you another angel?"</p><p>Marcus chuckled again. "No. I'm not so fortunate to have been born in the White City. I'm from Earth, just like you. Once a mortal who met his end on the job. I was recruited when I arrived at this place, trained by a better man than me before I took over the role as guardian. You may have heard of me from one of my more popular titles. The <em>Reaper</em>?"</p><p>"You're the reaper?" he asked in surprise. He thought back to the number of times he heard that name mentioned amongst both the angels and the demons, talking about him like he was an important and dangerous person. "I heard the demons mention it but expected something…bigger from the way they talked about you."</p><p>"I was thinking more like from your earth culture" Marcus clarified.</p><p>Jack thought about it, wondering what he could possibly mean by that. <em>The only reaper I can think of is…</em> His eyes widened. "No" he shook his head dismissively. But the man smirked. "No, no way! You're not… <em>The Grim Reaper?</em> You're trying to tell me you're the personification of Death itself?"</p><p>"A misconception, but yes" he nodded. "I had my doubts too. But I had a few years of immortality to come to grips with it."</p><p>Jackson was floored. <em>I'm talking to the grim reaper. I'm standing in the afterlife talking to the grim reaper. If I wasn't dead I would probably be crazy. </em>He looked around at the others for help, hoping they'd tell him he was just mad. But they both looked back silently. He wasn't crazy. "Okay" he whispered feeling the need to sit down, collapsing to the step of the platform. "Okay. So the grim reaper, the Angel and Death, and…"</p><p>He gestured to Freya, who shrugged modestly. "Angel in training?" she suggested.</p><p>"I know it's a lot to take in..." Marcus said pushing his wheel chair closer to the boy.</p><p>"I'm okay. I just…" He looked up at the grey haired man, his eyes scanning how frail and white his skin was. "For an immortal you aren't doing so well."</p><p>"Because he's dying" Freya explained, sharing a glance with Marcus before sitting beside Jackson fixing her gaze on him. "The reaper is supposed to be the most powerful entity in all of creation, created by the Well of Souls to safe guard the barriers between realms and keep the balance between Heaven and Hell, protecting the mortal world from beings who want to destroy it. But somehow, something managed to fatally wound him with a weapon powerful enough to kill a reaper."</p><p>"That sounds bad" Jack replied glancing at the wound on Marcus' chest. "Do you know who did it?</p><p>"No" Marcus answered. "But that's the least of our problems. Rumors of my condition spread and entities across creation have taken the opportunity to revolt from one realm to the next."</p><p>"We need a reaper to keep the peace. To stop everything falling into chaos" Freya explained. "But if Marcus dies…"</p><p>Jack rubbed his temples, the image of what they were describing making his head hurt. They were basically saying Marcus was the universe's only hope to bring balance to the force and save the mortal world from demons or some such. "Why are you telling me all this?" he asked them, looking across to the young angel beside him.</p><p>She stared at him intently, ignoring the hesitant look from Marcus as she told him. "In the past a reaper would choose his own successor. Someone to train under him and take the mantle when the time came for them to retire. But because he's dying now he hasn't got time to train anyone else. But the Well, <em>she</em> has the power to choose another reaper just as she had when she created the first champion."</p><p>He shrugged at her. "What does that have to do with me?"</p><p>"Don't you realize it yet? Of all the souls to have passed through limbo the Well intervenes at <em>your judgement</em>. After centuries of silence it now intervenes to save <em>you</em>. And at the moment of her champion's final hours? It's not a coincidence! It's fate!" She took Jack's shoulders and stared straight into his eyes, her gaze full of hope. "The Well chose <em>you</em> to be the next Grim Reaper!"</p>
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<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>23</p><p>Hawkins sat leaning back in his chair, the busy drone of the police station buzzing around him as he closed his eyes. Some would look at him slumped at his desk and think he'd fallen asleep on the job. But those who knew him and worked with him understood this job kept you up at night and knew that these little naps were his way of letting his mind switch off and shift through all the information he had to go on. <em>It's not enough right now</em>, he knew, but he tried to connect the dots anyway.</p><p>Manning arrived a few minutes later, newspaper under his arm carrying two cups of coffee from the canteen. He found his DI asleep at his desk and scowled, kicking his chair to wake him up. "Jesus!" The grey haired man cried out nearly toppling over. "Don't do that!"</p><p>"I don't know how a dinosaur like you ever got to be a detective" he said slamming the cup on the table. Brown liquid toppled over the rim and stained his paperwork as the tired officer rubbed his eyes. Manning sat down in his chair looking back at him, kicking his feet up onto the wood table. "So, it was the girl right?"</p><p>"What girl?" He asked picking up his drink. His expression grimaced tasting the foul texture. It was not worthy to be called coffee.</p><p>"The blonde with the foreign name" he clarified checking his notes. "The one from Africa? L'amahle."</p><p><em>Kassandra L'amahle. </em>Hawkins recalled the girl in question. <em>From Saudi Arabia. Illustration student. Close friend with our victim. Last person to see him alive aside from our attacker.</em> "You think a girl like her was strong enough to overpower somebody like Jackson White and stab him in an alley?"</p><p>He shrugged. "They argue. Things get heated. A knife is drawn and he's left to die. Open and shut."</p><p>Hawkins' eyes rolled as he leaned over the desk, picking up a stapled pile of papers tossing them towards the arrogant suit. "It wasn't her. She doesn't have the killer instinct. I can tell."</p><p>"Another <em>gut</em> feeling?" He asked looking back like a skeptic.</p><p>"Give it a few years on the street and you can learn to tell when someone has the eyes of a killer" he told him leaning back in his chair. "And Kassie, she is anything but. The only thing I saw in her eyes was a childlike innocence and fear. She's scared he's going to die." He gestured to the papers he knew the DS was going to ignore unless prompted. "Witness statements. The land lord of the apartment block and a neighbor confirming seeing her enter the residence around half five." He picked up a grainy photo and slid it across the table. "CCTV of a hairdressers a few blocks away from the alley showing our victim walking along the street alone at 5:43. Her series of events lines up. She has an alibi."</p><p>Manning looked over all the evidence, sighing in frustration annoyed to be proved wrong. "Okay, so she didn't stab him" he said relenting. "But do you buy this whole "just friends" routine? What kind of guy walks a girl home and doesn't expect anything in return?"</p><p>"Maybe he's just a gentleman?" He suggested. <em>Or maybe any romantic interest is one sided,</em> he quietly considered. From the way Kassie reacted to his question earlier she appeared defensive. Like the idea appalled her. But the response from the others when he asked indicated there was something to it. <em>Maybe Jackson White had a crush on Miss L'amahle. Maybe she wasn't aware of it but the others were? Or maybe there was a relationship and she just doesn't wish to acknowledge it. Either way it doesn't seem to be a factor in his assault.</em> "Putting aside the girlfriend angle, I'm more interested in his enemies" Hawkins said pushing the topic towards other possible leads.</p><p>"He doesn't have any."</p><p>"Everyone has enemies" he muttered turning his attention to the glass crime board by the wall. "Did you send off for those background checks I asked for?"</p><p>"All clean" his sergeant replied, standing up to gesture to the names of their victim's circle of friends. "No criminal records on any of them. Not even the victim. I was expecting at least something from this one" he added tapping Ajay's name.</p><p>"So Jackson has no known gang affiliations, Criminal history or complaints made against him" Hawkins mused.</p><p>Manning's shrugged sipping his drink. "Nothing we've been alerted to. Just because he hasn't been caught doesn't mean he's a Good Samaritan."</p><p>There was a moment of silence as Hawkins allowed a tiny smile tug at his lips as he looked up at his Sargent. "There's hope for you yet" said proudly. Swinging to his feet he examined the board carefully, looking over every name and suspect, every piece of evidence they had making sure they hadn't missed something.</p><p>Manning's stood beside him sighing. "It's possible to just be a mugging, isn't it?" He said disappointed. "I was looking forward to getting my first murder case."</p><p>"The kid is still in critical condition" his temporary mentor reminded him. He hoped this wouldn't turn to such a debacle but until he heard otherwise he has to treat this as a <em>potential</em> homicide. "I'm going to go down to the hospital and check on him. And talk to his doctors." Manning's nodded turning to grab his coat. Hawkins paused at a piece of paper, a written statement from the receptionist at the university catching his eye. He quickly read the words and recalled something that had slipped his mind. "I need you to go back to the university" he told his sergeant.</p><p>"Do I have to" he groaned. "All those millennials…"</p><p>"Talk to the receptionist again. She mentioned something about an altercation between some of the students on the day of the assault."</p><p>"Young people argue. They fight, make up and break up, sometimes all in the same week. I should know, I did the exact same."</p><p>Hawkins was already walking, looking over his shoulder giving him an order as he left. "If there was a fight, I want to know if our victim was involved. And if he was, what was the fight about and who was it with? I need a goddamn motive!"</p>
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<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>24</p><p>Jack was frozen in disbelief sitting in the center of the observation deck, like a computer trying to reboot following a system crash. Eventually he was able to find his voice and reply with a very short, they curt "No."</p><p>"What?" Freya blinked, standing in front of him after delivering her revelation.</p><p>"No!" He repeated, louder and more clearly shooting up to his feet. "Are you nuts? No! No, no no! I'm not the Grim Reaper!"</p><p>"But you must be!" She insisted following him as he paced the room frantically. "Marcus is dying and the Well saved you from oblivion. It let you leave the fortress so you could find the breach. You stopped those demons…"</p><p>"No, <em>you</em> stopped those demons at the breach!" He shouted whirling on her. "I nearly got my head bitten off! This is insane. More insane than before…" he said clutching his head feeling like it would explode. If he wasn't dead he'd probably think this was funny.</p><p>Azrael chuckled from his seat a few paces away. "Even the remnant agrees with me" he laughed. Marcus sat silently in his wheel chair observing the situation.</p><p>Freya's wings were folded in nervously as she approached the reluctant mortal, staying persistent as she explained. "The mortal world needs a reaper to protect it from outside forces. If Marcus can't choose his successor than it stands to reason the Well would find its own replacement. Everything you've gone through, the coincidences and the miracles, can't you see this is what fate is pushing you towards? You are the next Phasewalker."</p><p>"STOP! Just stop!" Jackson yelled at her, angry and scared at what she was suggesting. His head was in a tail spin along with his emotions as he tried to figure out how best to explain to this girl she was pathologically bonkers. <em>I'm not the reaper. The Grim Reaper is a killer. A force of nature. Everything I am not. I'm a nobody, a mistake! I died in a mugging for Christ sake! </em>"I'm sorry" he said slowly, careful not to get ahead of his words like he normally does when he's stressed. "I'm sorry, but you're wrong. I am not the chosen one meant to bring balance to the force or to save the universe from darkness. I'm just a random guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I have no idea what is going on. I am not the man you think I am."</p><p>Freya shook her head refusing to listen. "I don't believe that. It has to be you."</p><p>"Face it kid" Azrael said, finally rising out of his seat to address the young woman. She shook her head keeping her gaze on Jack looking more and more frantic. "You're clutching at straws" he told her bluntly. "I've seen recruits for this position with more potential than this boy. Hell, I've met librarians and scholars who could do the job better than this weakling."</p><p>"Exactly!" Jackson agreed, though silently he was rather angry at the blatant insult. But it made his point so he bit his tongue and allowed it.</p><p>"I'm not desperate!" Freya yelled stamping her feet, scowling at the Angel of Death. Her fists were clenched by her side, her wings arched aggressively. "And I'm not crazy!" she protested angrily.</p><p>"Nobody is saying that" Marcus said calmly.</p><p>"I am" Jack replied bluntly. He was too frustrated and angry to be polite anymore.</p><p>Freya looked at him, her expression a mix of irritation and desperation. "You have to be the answer we're looking for. It <em>has</em> to be you!"</p><p>"Well you're wrong" Jackson snapped back loudly.</p><p>"Children, please…" Marcus called out in a strangled voice, coughing sickly into his hand as the two of them continued to ague.</p><p>"I am not the person you want me to be! I am not a killer and never wanted to be! So there is no way I would ever want to be the Grim Reaper even if I was chosen to take this old man's place."</p><p>"That "old man" is the reason you got to live as long as you did!" she retorted. "You have no idea how many times he's saves you mortals from being destroyed or enslaved. You have no idea the sacrifices he's made to keep the boundaries safe. He's a hero!"</p><p>"Well I'm not! I'm not a hero. Or a reaper, or a Phasewalker or anything. I'm a coward who got jumped in an alley and couldn't save his own skin. What possible reason could there be for a cosmic god to choose me to take over from him?"</p><p>"It chose you! I swear! It must have!"</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Because… Because it has to be you. It has to be." The angel's words started to tremble, the anger in her voice giving way for hesitation.</p><p>Jackson unknowingly seized the advantage. "Why me?" he pressed. "Of all the people in this whole bloody multiverse, why does it have to be me? What about you? He's your mentor isn't he? Aren't you supposed to surpass him?"</p><p>"It doesn't work like that" she replied, her heart racing as she struggled to keep her composure. She could feel the tears breaking through her façade, all her willpower holding them back as she held Jack's gaze. "It has to be. It has to be you because…"</p><p>"Because what?" he growled, glaring back at her with all the pent up emotions he'd been burying since he came to the afterlife. All the anger and despair directed into this one argument. All of it misplaced at this young girl. HIs voice darkened on the verge of unleashing all his anger in one go. A motion he would never come back from. "Because what?" he repeated one last time.</p><p>"BECAUSE IF NOT THEN IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" Freya suddenly screamed.</p><p>The outburst shook the Well, her voice echoing through the halls leaving the group in hushed silence. She was left breathless standing in the chamber with everyone's eyes staring back at her. All frozen in shock. Jack felt all his anger evaporate as she looked back at him, her eyes welling up with tears, the furious expression faded to one of a terrified, distraught, grief-stricken young girl. When she realized they were staring she bolted, sprinting away into the nearest corridor hiding her face ignoring Marcus's voice calling out to her, finally breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably.</p><p>Jackson watched her run away, a wrenching knot forming in his stomach making him feel sick. <em>Why did I have to say all those things to her</em>? Racked with guilt he made the move to chase after her only for Marcus to reach out and catch his arm. "Let her be" he said quietly. "She's just scared of the inevitability of my passing. She blames herself for my condition and is trying to find a way to make up for it."</p><p>Jackson sighed, releasing the last of the tension as he turned back to face the middle aged man in the wheelchair. "Is she?" he asked cautiously, looking down at the wound on his chest. "Is it her fault?"</p><p>Marcus took a slow breath as he shook his head. "No. This was all my doing. My hubris. But Freya took it hard when we discovered I couldn't be saved, exhausting all our options leaving only the reality." He looked back down the corridor the angel disappeared into, a look of sadness on his face as he sighed. "She was always a dedicated girl. Better than me in more ways than you might believe. She just wants to make sure the world's taken care of, even if I can't do it anymore."</p><p><em>This is insane</em>, Jackson's brain mumbled to him again, his gaze falling back to the withering old man once more. He couldn't see it. <em>The Grim Reaper? Really? That's who he's supposed to be?</em></p><p>Marcus could feel the boy's gaze on him, chuckling quietly to himself before glancing out the corner of his eye with a smirk. Jack immediately averted his gaze, awkwardly shifting from one foot to another. "I know it's hard to fathom" he said. "It took me some time to accept this as the new normal too."</p><p>"All this is far from normal"" Jack replied. "I never considered my time alive as <em>normal</em>. But compared to this that was a cake walk."</p><p>"So there's no possibility she could be right?" Marcus asked examining the boy.</p><p>"No!" he snapped immediately. Then he checked himself and took a deep breath, that guilt in the pit of his stomach again. "I'm sorry, but no. I have not been chosen by some higher power to bring peace to the galaxy, or whatever it is you do. I'm just an idiot who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."</p><p>"A coincidence then" he nodded thoughtfully. "A coincidence that you became a remnant the same day you died. A day before demons attempt to breach into the mortal world. The same day you were rescued from oblivion by a consciousness that hasn't acted thus in centuries." He paused tapping his chin. "I never did like coincidences" he muttered.</p><p>"That's what she said" Jack sighed, recalling what Freya said to Azrael while he was searching for his way out.</p><p>Marcus grunted, spinning his chair to face the boy. "Tell me, do you believe in fate?"</p><p>"As in destiny? No" he answered plainly.</p><p>Marcus tilted his head. "Why not?"</p><p>"Because I don't like the idea of our lives being mapped out for us with no way of changing it. Besides, I wasn't fond of the future I saw ahead of mine." He thought about the viaduct back in his hometown, a familiar place he'd visit every so often when things were…dark. <em>I wanted something better but it felt like all roads led to here</em>. Jack didn't want to admit it but looking back at how lost he'd been in the months leading up to now, how confused and messed up he was, he had a fifty-fifty chance of finding himself jumping off that viaduct and giving up. If the mugger hadn't killed him he probably would've done the job himself.</p><p>Marcus silently nodded, opting not to ask about what had suddenly distracted the boy. "God works in mysterious ways" he said mysteriously, taking hold of the wheel chair and slowly pushing himself towards the exit. "If you'll excuse me, I have some thinking to do" he said in parting, leaving Jackson to stand alone in the cavern.</p><p>The remnant watched the old man leave, still trying to picture him being the benevolent entity for death personified. He pondered how he would look in a dark cloak holding a scythe but the image looked ridicules, like looking at someone else. "I'm not a reaper" he told himself.</p><p>"Of course you're not" Azrael concurred standing behind him making the boy jump. "I've seen librarians more worthy of replacing that man."</p><p>"Well I'm glad we agree on something" Jack sighed shoving his hands into his pockets. The motion suddenly made him aware of his current state of dress. His jacket was torn to shreds with dried blood soaking the fabric, an acid burn on his shoulder, a cut along his jeans, the wound on his chest and four long scratches across his face. "Christ, I'm a mess."</p><p>"I've seen worse" the he replied, absolutely zero sympathy in his voice.</p><p>Jack shrugged just accepting the fact he wasn't going to get the guy to like him. Not that he was really trying. "So what now?" he asked him. "This the part where you throw me in a cell for the rest of my afterlife?"</p><p>"I would just throw you into a black hole like last time" he answered dryly. "But since that's not an option I have another idea." He signaled for the boy to follow him, crossing the cavern to return to the soul-bridge.</p><p>Jackson cautiously followed behind him asking "Where are we going?"</p><p>"To put you back where you belong."</p>
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<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>25</p><p>Derby's biggest hospital was approximately a mile from the city centre. A mile from the site where Jackson White was found bleeding to death. It was the main medical centre for the whole area, ambulances and vehicles traveling to and fro at a consistent pace. The hospital was made up of three buildings connected by walkways, each five storeys high filled with winding corridors and halls resembling a maze. It would be very easy to get lost in here if you weren't making note of the wards and room numbers, tracking the signs at each junction.</p><p>Fortunately, Danielle Alcie was capable of mentally mapping her route to where she was going by memorising the floor plan she picked up at the entrance from reception. She arrived at the hospital around noon, paying the uber driver who brought her here. She wasn't sure how long she was going to be here and didn't want to ask the polite young man to wait for her indefinitely. So he drove away leaving her at the entrance to walk in and approach the reception. She confidently asked the receptionist which way to find the patient she was looking for though she wasn't a hundred percent sure if she'd be allowed to visit. Fortunately the older woman was kind enough to direct her through the maze on the map after asking for her relation to the patient. She told her she was just a friend. As she followed the directions, stepping into the lift rising to the third floor, she asked herself for the final time if this was a good idea. It felt like she was intruding on this person's privacy. But at the same time she felt guilty when she considered turning around and leaving. For her own piece of mind she had to come visit, if only once.</p><p>Circling around the halls, following the signs and her own mental image of the map, she counted the rooms. <em>48. 46. 44.</em> She was on the right track. She looked up and down the white halls, each stretching in opposite directions. Nurses and visitors paced the halls stepping in and out of rooms either side, their focus on each other paying the young woman no heed. She passed a group of doctors talking quietly amongst themselves, hearing their hushed voices as she crossed their path.</p><p>"…we should've been registering some brain activity by now. It's like his body's running on autopilot."</p><p>"His heartrate's barely registering. He can't breathe without the machines. For all intents and purposes he's beyond hope. The family need to reconsider."</p><p>"I've already informed them the chances of their son waking up. They want to wait just in case. But unless we get another miracle…"</p><p>Dani quickly pulled herself out of earshot, the conversation bringing a sense of dread to her visit. She wasn't sure who exactly the doctors were talking about but offered a silent prayer to whoever needed it in that situation. She couldn't imagine what the family was going through. She looked up and found the room number above the next door on the left hand side. <em>24</em>. <em>This is it</em>. She paused a foot away from the door, taking a slow breath wondering what she might say if his family was in there. Maybe they weren't here today and she'd be on her own, letting her just sit in silence respectfully.</p><p>Before she could enter the room the door opened and she was greeted by the grey haired, stern face of the detective who had come to talk to them yesterday. He was wearing the same faded jacket and same shirt and trousers, like he hadn't changed all night. She caught a faint waft of aftershave from him as he walked out to greet her. "Miss Alcie" the detective inspector said surprised, putting his hands in his pockets coming to a stop. "What brings you down here?"</p><p>She shrugged glancing into the closing doors. "I just thought I'd go see him" she replied. She had nothing to hide, but having to explain herself to the police officer made her feel like a criminal. "There's nothing wrong with that is there?" she asked defensively.</p><p>"No" Hawkins replied, keeping his expression neutral examining her. "I just didn't think you and Jackson were that close."</p><p>Dani shifted awkwardly under the man's gaze. <em>We're not</em>, she wanted to say. But she got the sense that would make her visit all the more suspicious. She'd spent all night arguing with herself whether it would be a good idea to visit him in hospital, ultimately deciding she'd regret not coming at all. "I just wanted to offer his family some support" she explained.</p><p>"How very noble" he smiled. "While I've got you, perhaps you can help clarify some things." She shrugged knowing he was going ask his questions whether she wanted to answer them or not. "I asked you before if you could think of anyone who might want to harm Jackson White and you said no."</p><p>"He doesn't have enemies" she replied curtly. "He kept to himself and didn't cause trouble. Nobody had a reason to hurt him."</p><p>"Are you sure?" he asked raising his eyebrow. "He didn't fall out with anyone? Didn't get into an argument on the day of the assault? No fights with another student?"</p><p>The question made Dani hesitate, the memory of that day flashing perfectly through her mind. She saw Jack on the ground with the hooded figure standing over him as she followed her friends down the stairs of the university. "You know about that?"</p><p>The man narrowed his gaze at her and she saw his expression shift to curiosity. "The two students that were fighting in the reception area. Jackson was one of them?" She didn't answer, but didn't need to. She mentally scolded herself for being so transparent. "Do you know what the fight was about?" he asked her.</p><p>"No" she told him.</p><p>"Who was the other student?"</p><p>"Nobody" she said. When he gave a look telling her it was unwise to lie she folded. "Zachery Helmsley. He's a graphic designer and a bit of a… He gives a lot of us the creeps."</p><p>"Were he and Jackson friends?"</p><p>"No. Zac doesn't really do friends. He keeps to himself and can get quite…aggressive with people. Jack was the only one who tried to talk to him regularly. I think he related to him a bit. The rest of us try to stay out of his way.</p><p>"Related how?"</p><p>She shrugged, unsure how to answer. "Jack didn't talk much. Not about himself. He was quiet, subdued. I didn't know him too well but I got the sense he felt a little out of place with the rest of us. Like an outsider. We did try to include him a lot but he just held himself back. I think that's why he wanted to make Zac his friend. Maybe he thought they had a lot in common."</p><p>Hawkins nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. "When you say he held himself back, could you explain what you meant?"</p><p>She hunched her shoulders uncertainly. "He was just…distant?"</p><p>He paused glancing back into the hospital room Dani had come all the way to visit. "What was Jackson's relationship with Kassie L'amahle like?" he asked suddenly, out of the blue.</p><p>"They were just friends" Dani answered immediately.</p><p>"Are you sure?" he asked with a strong hint of doubt. "My sergeant seems to get the impression they were more than that. And judging from the reaction your friend Ajay gave us when we asked yesterday I got the sense he wasn't the only one."</p><p>Dani sighed heavily rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Ajay likes to tease them both about the idea of them dating. He also jokes about me and Kadin hooking up in the university toilets on a regular basis." She saw the curious look in the man's eye and quickly set him straight. "Kadin has a boyfriend. And I'm not seeing anyone. Point is you shouldn't take what Ajay says on face value."</p><p>"So there's no chance Kassie and Jackson might've been seeing each other in secret?"</p><p>"No. Kassie would've said something to one of us."</p><p>Hawkins seemed disappointed but thoughtful. "What about Jackson? She told us he walked her back to her place rather frequently, is that correct? Isn't it possible he had feelings towards her which she didn't share? Feelings she didn't know about?"</p><p>Dani hesitated again, measuring her expression keeping it neutral as she answered. "No. I don't believe so."</p><p>He examined her closely, maybe doubting the lie she had just told. But he decided not to challenge her at this time. "Okay" he said with a smile, waving her along. "That's all for now. I need to have a chat to my victim's doctor." He gestured over her shoulder, where she saw a smartly dressed man in a white coat waiting by a desk for the detective. Her breath caught in her throat as she realised he was one of the doctors she'd overheard earlier, talking about how grave their patient's condition was in.</p><p>
  <em>They were talking about Jackson!</em>
</p><p>"Things aren't looking good right now" he explained quietly. "Pretty soon this could turn from assault and battery into murder. So if there's anything you haven't told us, no matter how small or irrelevant, it would be wise to inform us sooner rather than later." She looked back up at him, swallowing her fear refusing to grant him the satisfaction of appearing intimidated. He straightened himself up and walked past her, calling over his shoulder. "Give Miss L'amahle my regards when you go in would you." Dani forced herself not to look behind her, releasing a shaky breath as she heard the detective greet the doctor in hushed tones.</p><p>Focusing on what she had come to do she stormed forward into the hospital room, pushing open the doors to find the place virtually empty. The ward was a public space so it held six or seven beds that would hold patients. At this particular moment only three of the beds were occupied, but the other four shared signs of activity indicating they were only temporarily vacant. One of the occupied beds had an elderly man who was sound asleep at the far wall. The second bed had a middle aged man lying on his back staring straight up at the ceiling, a vacant look in his gaze that put Dani on edge. Neither of these patients had visitors, leaving her all alone to visit the third bed on the left hand side of the room obscured by a curtain.</p><p>"Kassie?" she said in surprise when she stepped around the curtain to find the blonde young woman sitting silently beside the hospital bed.</p><p>The young girl spun around with a startled yelp, seeing the dark brown haired girl behind her. "Hey. I didn't think anyone else would be here" she said greeting her friend with an embrace.</p><p>"Neither did I" Dani replied hugging her, her gaze bypassing her friend looking at the young man lying in the bed hooked up to multiple monitors and machines. A pump hissed as it fed into a breathing apparatus strapped around the boy's jaw, a large tube coming out of his mouth. A screen beeped showing his low heartrate, the coloured lines rising with each rhythmic pulse. His clothes were folded neatly beside the bed on a table, a pair of cracked glasses placed on top of the pile. The bed covers were pulled up to his chest, the thin blue night gown covering his skin hiding the wound that should've killed him. Danielle stared down at the face of Jackson White, his eyes closed and his hair combed back to display his sleeping expression. He looked so different to the boy who sat around the table with them in Nando's two days ago, his quiet demeanour vanished replaced with a silent statue. In her head she replayed the hushed conversation the doctors were sharing on her way in. <em>He's beyond hope</em>. She looked back at Kassie, who was quiet as she sat back down in her seat beside him. She looked upset but her eyes kept a hopeful gleam. <em>She didn't know what the doctors were saying</em>. Dani made the decision not to mention what she heard and stood beside her. "I thought you had an assignment to finish?" she said to the blonde.</p><p>"I took a break an hour ago" she told her, her gaze fixed on Jack. "I couldn't concentrate. I needed to see him. See how he was doing." She turned her head to look up at her. "How about you?"</p><p>"Same, I guess" she replied sombrely.</p><p>They both fell silent watching the young boy. Dani looked around and found a spare chair to borrow, pulling it next to Kassie's so she could sit down. "I ran into that policeman on the way in" she said quietly. She saw Kassie fold up with her arms subtly, a tiny indication that Dani had noted over the years as her friend telling her she was uncomfortable. "You okay?" she asked figuring if she was here when he was she got the third degree also.</p><p>She didn't respond immediately, her gaze falling to her lap turning away to hide her expression. Dani didn't push her, taking the silence as a conversation for later. "It's all my fault" her voice whispered, barely audible to Dani's ears.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"He walked me home" Kassie explained, her voice breaking with sadness. "I should've said no, insisted I would've been fine. If he'd just gotten on the bus and gone home he wouldn't have been hurt. It's my fault he's…"</p><p>Dani took her hand, looking her straight in the eye as she told her comfortingly "Kassie, this isn't your fault! None of us could've predicted this would happen. It was his choice to go with you, so you can't blame yourself."</p><p>"But why?" she asked, tears falling down her cheeks. "Who would do such a thing? The things that policeman was saying… He kept asking why Jack would've insisted he walk me home if we were just friends. I couldn't think of a reason."</p><p>Dani stared at her, amazed she couldn't see it. Dani had lied when the detective asked if Jack had feelings for Kassie. Every time Ajay made his jokes about shipping Kassie and him, Kassie would brush it off mildly irritated. But Jack would avert his gaze looking embarrassed. Danielle figured it out weeks ago, keeping it to herself waiting to see how it would ultimately play out. But she assumed Kassie knew on some level Jack had a crush on her. But she seemed as oblivious as Ajay was when he made his jokes.</p><p>"He cared a lot about you" she told her, careful not to give away Jackson's secret in case he was met with a miracle. "He just wanted to make sure you were safe. This could've happened to anyone, to any of us. If he wasn't there it could've been you in that bed instead" she explained. Kassie looked up at the bed glancing back at Dani. "It was a random act of bad luck. It could've been me, you, Ajay or someone else. But you are not responsible for this. You understand?"</p><p>Kassie was quiet as Dani stared at her. She glanced over at the boy who walked her home, wiping her tears from her cheeks. "I guess so" she finally whispered with a sniffle.</p><p>Danielle sighed, content to have calmed her if only a moment. She sat back in her seat in sombre silence until she received a text on her phone. <em>We still on for today? – Kadin</em>. "Hey" she said nudging Kassie's arm, remembering the plans she had set up with her friends a few days ago. "Kadin and Ajay wanted to check out this new restaurant not far from here. We should join them, take our minds off all that's happened for a while." Kassie appeared reluctant as the brunette dragged her chair back to where she found it, waiting at the end of the bed. "You look like you need some of Ajay's nonsense to cheer you up" she smiled.</p><p>The blonde took one last look at Jack's body, still as motionless as when she arrived. "Okay" she said hesitantly, rising back to her feet slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Maybe just for a little while."</p><p>Dani nodded enthusiastically, gently leading her around the curtain and out the hospital ward. They both glanced back for one last look, just in case, before Dani pushed the reluctant illustrator out of the room into the corridor. Thankfully the detective was gone so they didn't have to deal with him again today.</p><p>"He is going to wake up isn't he?" Kassie asked her friend, her voice on the verge of sobbing again.</p><p>Dani nearly lied. She wanted to say everything will be fine but her doubts were squashing any hope she had of Jackson recovering. "I hope so" she said truthfully, trying her dandiest to believe her own words.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>26</p><p>The two girls walked out of the hospital into the warm midday air, the streets bustling with activity surrounding the car park. They walked out of the west gate waving at the security guard on duty, crossing into the street turning left following the road down. Dani's arm wrapped around Kassie's shoulders to console her, still worrying about Jackson's fate. They walked past a charity shop for <em>Red Cross</em>, various donated clothes and jackets hanging in the window. They both glanced over the entrance to the small alley, weary and cautious jogging quickly away continuing down the road. After a couple of seconds a cold breeze cut through the street making Kassie shiver, rubbing her sleeveless arms watching an empty crisp packet skirt around her feet traveling in the opposite direction. A moment later they were startled by a car backfiring, the sound echoing through the sky like thunder. Dani gently squeezed Kassie's arm for comfort, leading them both away from the hospital thinking no more about the ghostly chill walking over their graves.</p><p>A few seconds earlier that empty crisp packet tumbled along the concrete, retracing the girl's steps back to the charity shop and the alley where the cold breeze spun around in a miniature cyclone. If anybody was to look upon this micro anomaly they might find it fascinating. But not as fascinating as the spark of light that suddenly erupted in a rainbow tunnel hovering a few feet off the ground. The portal opened with a thunderous boom, which Dani and Kassie mistook for a car backfiring, followed by a gust of wind sending the garbage spiralling into the air. Out of the tunnel two shapes rocket, at the speed of light, down to the ground breaking through the barrier of reality and materialising into solid form landing on the solid concrete as if by magic.</p><p>"Whoa!" Jackson gasped, his feet landing on the ground unsteadily. When he and Azrael stepped into the soul-bridge everything seemed to move at a blur past his face, his body hurtling hundreds of miles an hour, only to come to a jarring stop at the threshold of the entrance enabling him to step out into the warm midday air. As a result his stomach kept the momentum, sending vomit up his throat hurling him forward to throw up unceremoniously in the alley. "That was…" he heaved doubling over, steadying himself on the wall. "That felt different from last time."</p><p>"Crossing the border of reality can be disorienting the first few times. Especially through the soul-bridge" Azrael said casting his eye over the empty street, not a proverbial hair out of place as his cloak fell around his ankles. He was sure to get the landing coordinates exact so they materialised out of sight of any potential witnesses, but there was still room for error. Fortunately their arrival was left unnoticed. He turned back to the young remnant still vomiting his guts up, feeling a pinch of irritation. He hated having to deal with children. "Welcome back to the land of the living" he said flatly.</p><p>Jack finished throwing up, raising his eyes to the bright blue sky as the light made him squint. The air here was cleaner than Limbo, the familiar breeze brushing across his skin. <em>It's real. I'm back. </em>He rose to his feet surveying his surroundings, taking in the sounds of a bustling city in the distance and the passing cars zooming along the street ignoring them. He could smell fresh air, actually remembering it had a distinct smell that didn't choke his lungs. He never thought he'd miss being alive so much. "I thought the dead weren't supposed to come back to this dimension?" he said turning back to face the Angel of Death.</p><p>"They're not" he replied. "But you're a special case and under strict supervision." He cast another look around the street, examining the charity shop next to them and the clothing in the window. "Here" he said gesturing to the door. "Get yourself a new set of clothes and meet me across the street in five minutes. Preferably without the blood and burn holes."</p><p>Jack glanced down at his attire, tattered and torn, and looked up to the window Azrael pointed him to. The charity shop wouldn't be his first port of call for new clothes but he could at least guarantee they'd have something in his size and it'd be cheap. But that brought up a new problem as he patted his empty pockets. "Do I need to change?" he asked as Azrael began walking away.</p><p>"Only if you don't want to stand out" he huffed in reply.</p><p>The boy caught him before he could cross the road and gave him a look. "Okay, fine, but I don't think that'll be possible without a means to pay for it. You may not know this but my wallet didn't make it across to the afterlife."</p><p>Azrael scowled impatiently as he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small bag of coins. Pulling out a handful he granted the mortal some cash for him to make the necessary purchase.</p><p>Only when Jackson held out his hand he discovered what Azrael had given him were drachmae. "Seriously?" he asked looking up at the bald warrior angel.</p><p>"Might I suggest you also find something to hide your face" he said, pocketing the rest and turning on his heel, leaving Jackson in the street with enough outdated currency to buy a new outfit.</p><p>Unsurprisingly the shop keeper didn't accept drachmae. In fact, judging by the way he eyed the young man who walked into his shop, his clothes ripped and smouldering with cuts and bruises all over his face, including four long gashes over his right cheek and a red acid burn on his shoulder, Jack was actually surprised he got as far as the counter before he called the police. At least he presumed he would. To his shock the man was kind enough to offer him some new clothes free of charge, believing him to be a vagrant or in some similar trouble. Jack couldn't give him details but accepted the man's generosity, promising him the moment he could he'd repay him for the clothes. The man told him not to worry and gave him a number for a help centre should he need it. After quickly changing Jack regrouped with Azrael outside the hospital, his old attire thrown into the dustbin around the corner replaced with faded blue jeans a tad too smug for him, a loose fitting red hoodie and a dark green cap. He kept the grey shirt because it was his favourite and the shop didn't have anything in his size, along with the worn trainers on his feet. But it felt good to be wearing something not drenched in his own sweat and blood.</p><p>They avoided the security guard rather easily and followed the path around the complex, keeping an eye out for passers-by heading towards the entrance. Azrael was still dressed in his usual garb of a blue cloak and leather wrappings and armour, his sword hanging from his hip. Jack was about to make a jibe about him being the more inconspicuous one until the man pulled on his cloak. In the space of a breath the fabric shifted colour into a white coat as he fed his arm into the sleeve, adjusting his collar while a pair of black trousers and a waist coat materialised around his body, shiny suede shoes replacing his sandals. Jack blinked seeing the dark skinned angel now dressed like a doctor, his medical pass hanging from his neck as they rounded the corner and found the entrance.</p><p>Nobody paid either of them any heed as they crossed the halls, following Azrael's lead as he guided them through the maze. Jackson kept his hood up and his cap low, sensing a dozen eyes on him with each step he took. "Where are we going? He asked as they stepped between a groups of nurses who nodded politely at Azrael.</p><p>"To see a resident" he answered without looking at him. "Hopefully he doesn't have anyone visiting to disturb us."</p><p>"You brought me here to see a patient?" he asked, counting the room numbers as they passed. His eyes struggled to decipher the lettering until they got closer, finally remembering he needed glasses for his distance vision. Being back in this realm made him unfocused wishing he could just pull out a spare pair just so see. "This guy dying too?" he asked referring to their imminent guest.</p><p>"In a way, I believe he already has" Azrael replied cryptically, finding the ward number and ushering the boy inside quietly. Down the hall a little girl watched them as they entered the room, sitting quietly on a plastic chair with her bare feet dangling a few inches of the ground, a leather hat cradled in her lap.</p><p>Jackson read the room number, <em>24</em>, as he stepped inside. Casting his eyes along the beds he found two older men sleeping soundly, recognising neither of them with a frown. But as Azrael crossed the floor he pulled a curtain around a third patient, gesturing the boy to join him as he hid them out of sight for privacy. Jack walked over unsure what the point of this visit was until he saw the young man in the hospital bed, a tube pushed down his throat and monitors hooked up to him beeping with a slow heartbeat. Jackson felt a chill run down his spine as he looked down at his identical twin.</p><p>"How" he stammered, a lump in his throat feeling his legs turn to jelly. "That's me" he whispered staring at his body, realising it was actually <em>his</em> body. <em>I'm a ghost looking down at myself</em>. He quickly examined the body, desperate to be proven he was wrong. <em>This can't be me</em>! He found the bandage underneath the thin shirt covering him, the stitched wound from the knife that killed him in the place it was supposed to be. He found his right hand bandaged, carefully unwrapping it to find the brand in his palm exactly the same as his own. <em>This can't be me!</em></p><p>"It's you kid" Azrael said quietly, reading his mind while picking up the chart on the end of the bed. "While you and Freya were engaging demons several counties away I was investigating your case more thoroughly. I tracked you back to your place of death and found out where your body was taken. Imagine my surprise when I found out you were alive but in a comatose condition. Though according to this the doctors are recommending cutting your life support due to inactive brain activity. That's what happens when souls are ejected from their hosts."</p><p>"I'm alive?" Jack repeated staring at the machines. He had a heartbeat and the tube was helping him breath. <em>I'm alive!</em> "But how? I can't be. I died! I felt myself die!"</p><p>"I'm aware. That's why I wasn't at the breach with you earlier. I had the same questions you do and was looking for answers. According to the file the paramedics managed to resuscitate you on site. If that was true, your soul should've snapped back to your body assuming you were still in limbo when it occurred. Happens more often than you think. And it explains your mortal's interpretation of near-death experiences. Might also explain the surge of life force that protected you from the soulless when you first arrived. But after that…"</p><p>Jack was trying to follow him but he was just getting more and more confused. "So, am I dead?"</p><p>"Remnants are anomalies. You shouldn't exist. If they revived you, you should've returned to your body with no memory of crossing over. But you didn't. Which means something separated you from your body the moment you were brought back." He flicked deeper into the file, scanning the gibberish. "Huh. According to this paragraph you flat-lined in the operating table. Must've been when the judges were examining your fate." He closed the file and looked across to the boy, rubbing his temples before addressing him. "Anyway, that's why we're here. To fix what should've been sorted from day one."</p><p>Jack furrowed his brow in confusion before looking down at his body. "Wait, you mean… Does this mean I can go back? To my old life?"</p><p>Azrael nodded. "Theoretically, since remnants are just souls separated from their bodies you should just simply be able to step back into yours."</p><p>He looked up at the angel then back at the hospital bed. "So… I just…what? Climb in and we merge? Do I need a spell?" Jack stared at Azrael questioningly but he just shrugged. He had no idea how it was done. He'd never personally returned a soul to their body before. Jack was eager to get back to life. Return to his friends and family. Fix the mistakes he'd made. Confess his love for Kassie. <em>I can go back.</em></p><p>As Jackson hesitantly walked up next to his own hospital bed the white haired girl sitting in the corridor hummed gently to herself, her fingers stroking the hat on her lap, her big blue eyes looking down in a daze. Nobody noticed her as her feet swung back and forth, her plain dress covering her tiny body like a blanket. It wasn't until Jack's hand slowly came up over his body that her song froze, her eyes snapping up looking in his direction as if she could see through walls. Jack reached out to touch the boy lying in the hospital bed, feeling his hand drawn to the host knowing this was how things needed to be. But before he could make contact there was a spark of electricity, a tiny lightning bolt shooting between Jack's forehead and his fingertips, making him leap back with a cry of pain. "Ow! That stung!" Jack cried as the lights flickered above them, the machines jittering as a power surge ran through the room.</p><p>Azrael felt the energy shift through the air glancing around at the flickering lights, turning back to the young boy whose body remained untouched. "Well that was unexpected" he whispered placing a hand on the boy's forehead. Nothing stopped him from touching the body. Meanwhile Jackson was waving his hand in the air trying to stop the tingling sensation running up his arm. In the hallway the little girl looked back down to her lap, continuing to hum her little song quietly to herself.</p><p>"What the hell was that?" Jack asked with a frustrated tone.</p><p>"I don't know" Azrael told him, finishing the examination but finding no evidence of magic or tampering. "Best guess is residue life force from your resuscitation. Either that or something is keeping your body and soul apart."</p><p>"So I'm trapped like this?" he asked sadly, looking down at his body which had just rejected him. Azrael didn't answer rubbing his neck, out of ideas until further notice. Jack couldn't accept the thought of being so close to going back to his own life and failing. He was about to jump in for a second attempt when he heard footsteps behind him just as the curtain was pulled back.</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry" the young nurse said startled, finding the two of them hovering over the hospital bed. She immediately looked up at Azrael, who turned around to greet her with a polite smile. He switched into the role effortlessly, taking on the persona of a real medical professional that got Jackson wondering how many hospitals Azrael had infiltrated in the past. As the nurse turned her head to look at him Jack kept his face away from her, pulling his cap over his eyes. He knew he looked suspicious but it raised less questions than seeing the same guy lying in a coma next to him.</p><p>Azrael was quick to run interference so he wouldn't get discovered, walking around the hospital bed to greet the young woman. "Do you need something nurse?"</p><p>She turned back to face him, her brow raising as she tried to place this new face. "No" she said calmly. "It's just visiting time is being suspended on this floor due to a maintenance issue. I'm afraid I must ask Mr White's…err…" She looked over at the young man in a red hoodie trying to get a look at him. "I'm sorry, are you a family member?"</p><p>"A friend" Jack replied, keeping his face hidden as his gaze surveyed the side cabinet beside the bed. The clothes he'd been wearing on the day of his death were folded neatly on the cabinet. Sitting atop the pile was a pair of glasses, the pair he had been wearing that day, one of the lenses cracked from where it had fallen on the floor. Instinctively his fingers came up to his face looking for his own pair, feeling uncomfortably naked without them on. He assumed they would've been with the police for evidence. Maybe they had been analysed and was returned. <em>How long have I been dead?</em> The only thing missing from his pile was his hat, finding his bag on the ground next to the bed.</p><p>"Oh, that's nice" the nurse said, her voice pleasant and professional. She returned her gaze to Azrael. "I'm sorry doctor, I can't place your name."</p><p>"Malak Al-Maut" Azrael said. "I'm a private doctor for another patient. I heard about this case and, forgive me, but I had to take a look. Quite the miracle I heard."</p><p>"Indeed" the nurse agreed. "I hope they find the person that did this. What's this world coming to, students getting stabbed in broad daylight? I can't walk home alone any more for fear of strangers."</p><p>"Indeed. The world is a complicated place. If I may, what the boy's prognosis?"</p><p>The nurse sighed sadly, glancing towards the boy in the hoodie before taking a step closer to talk in a hushed voice. "I'm afraid the doctors think, despite the miracles, he has suffered irreversible brain damage. Unless he just wakes up in the few days they are going to ask the family to seriously consider…" She couldn't finish the sentence. Jack could sense her hesitation behind him as he looked down at himself, imaging the conversation where his parents would have to make the choice to switch off his life support. He felt sick.</p><p>Azrael nodded allowing the nurse to trail off, placing the chart back on the bed. "I'm sorry for intruding. I'll get out of your way." He reached over and took Jacks arm. "We should let the nurse get on with her duties. Come with me please."</p><p>Jack didn't resist as he was dragged out of the room, the nurse waving them farewell before walking over to check on the comatose patient. Jack stole one last look behind him at his body, feeling all the hope he had left sink to the pit of his stomach as he disappeared around the corner.</p><p>Outside the two of them exited the hospital into the warm summer air, leaving the unpleasant failure behind and taking a deep breath. "Well that was a waste of time" Azrael scowled marching around the side of the building out of view of the staff and visitors. Jackson followed mutely before collapsing against the brick wall, lost in his thoughts while the angel morphed his clothes back to his normal attire. They didn't say a word to each other since leaving the ward, both mulling over their own quandaries wondering what to do next. Azrael was back to square one on how to deal with the remnant and fix this mess. Jack however was having an existential crisis, feeling out of place and lost and confused as he brought out the pair of cracked glasses he'd taken from the side cabinet. The memory of that day replayed over and over, every detail crystal clear like he was reliving it.</p><p><em>What do I do now?</em> He thought. <em>If his body died now would he disappear? Or would he remain a ghost?</em> <em>What do I do?</em></p><p>Azrael adjusted his outfit as he strode back to the mortal, motioning him to follow. "We should go. I'll be able to make sense of this more back at the Well. Come on." He began walking with purpose, rubbing his hands together preparing to reopen the soul-bridge and return home. But before he could he looked back and realised the mortal hadn't moved, still standing at the opposite end of the wall where he'd left him. "Hey kid!" He called impatiently. "Let's go!"</p><p>Jack didn't respond at first, looking up to see Azrael marching back towards him to find out what the hold-up was. He turned the glasses over in his hands, his muddled thoughts trying to make sense of the chaos. <em>I need to think</em>, he said to himself knowing that was actually a lie. "You go" he finally said out loud looking around at the car park surrounding them. "I need a minute. I'll catch up."</p><p>Azrael thought he was hearing things. "What did you say?" He asked. Jack repeated the statement and he grew even more impatient. "Don't be stupid. Remnants can't be left unchecked in the land of the living."</p><p>"They're too dangerous to be left in the afterlife too" he pointed out. "Seems I don't belong anywhere." He heard Azrael sigh angrily and explained. "I just need time to think. Use your holographic telepathic tracker, magic compass or whatever to monitor me if you want. I just need to be alone."</p><p>"Kid..." Azrael started to speak but Jack was already walking away from him. He knew now the only way he was getting him back to the Well was kicking and screaming. He was moments away from taking that option before shouting "Don't do anything stupid kid! If a remnant dies outside the host body they won't have an afterlife to go back to."</p><p>"I'll take my chances" Jackson called back, putting his glasses back on finally seeing the world properly. Half his vision was through a cracked lens, making half the world broken in his eyes. Seemed fitting as it felt like a part of him had been broken for a long time. Long before he died in that alley. Maybe he'd always been a ghost. Out of place. Didn't belong.</p><p>As he marched through the car park towards the street his mind went into overdrive sorting everything he'd experienced and learnt. From Marcus the Grim Reaper to his doppelgänger in the hospital bed. He scanned his surroundings and hoped he could work out where in Derby he was, plotting a route as best he could in the direction he wanted to go. The walk would help him think. Hopefully he'd have a clearer head by the time he reached his destination. He didn't know how long he had in the mortal world but there was only one place he wanted to be right now. he needed his lighthouse as the darkness creeped in around him.</p><p>
  <em>I need to see her.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Journal of Marcus Travis Blake, 5th June 2019</p><p>I found Freya crying in her room, sitting on the bed with her grey wings wrapped around her, her knees pulled up to her chin weeping into her arms. She looked like a little girl again. Just like when I first found her five years ago. I paused outside her door just listening to her cries, a pang of sadness filling my heart. I could feel her pain and despair. I shared it weeks ago when I first discovered my eventful fate. But I have come to terms with it now. But she hasn't. She can't. She still believes there's hope for me, hope that my fall will mean something more than it does. She's trying to fix what can't be repaired.</p><p>I admire her loyalty and determination. But I pity her too. She carries this burden on her shoulders believing it's her duty to protect my legacy. I've raised her for years and now she thinks it's her turn to protect all of creation. Not to take my place but the usher in my replacement. I understand why she is compelled to do this. She doesn't think I know but I do. I know how she failed me.</p><p>It happened a few days ago. After exhausting all possible avenues of finding a cure to save me, fix this infection killing the grim reaper, Azrael was forced to turn away from my care and defend the barriers of creation in my stead. More and more entities heard the rumours of my condition and were using my absence to their advantage. His forces were stretched thin. Used to be the fear of death was enough to deter incursions. But hope is a powerful thing and I was running out of it. As was my ward. After looking after me all day she finally built up the courage to defy the one rule I gave her so many weeks ago; never leave the Well of Souls alone.</p><p>She snuck out behind my back and travelled across to the mortal world, making the journey to the one place she hoped to find some answers. She entered <em>the White Stallion</em>, the scene of the crime. She intended to do what I couldn't. She hoped to solve my murder.</p><p>She was always an attentive student, a trait that paid off in that derelict building. She used the skills I taught her to try and deduce the identity of my attacker. She found the pool of my blood, discovered no signs of a scuffle indicating I was taken by surprise, her spells of detection revealing no magic present. Draped in her grey cloak she examined the room carefully, scanning the evidence over and over but finding no leads except one. Venturing into the basement she found a lair, a place of recent activity like someone was hiding down here. Or waiting. Clever girl she was she rightly deduced this was no act of impulse but a planned ambush. Which meant I had been lured there by someone. I never did tell the Freya or Azrael where I was going that day but she knew I was investigating a potential incursion. If one had taken place and I'd been jumped Azrael would've detected the breach and we'd have the culprit. But instead whatever was behind my injuries originated from this realm. Freya analysed the site and found only one astral signature. One we were both familiar with.</p><p>Steeling away into the inky black night the young angel sought the one place I would never had approved her visiting, deep in the heart of the city. The closing cosmic threads focusing around this city made it the perfect hiding place for demonic entities such as the being she was looking for. We hadn't had dealings with this particular piece of scum in a long while but Azrael liked to keep tabs, tracking him to a sleazy club in the heart of what mortals would call the "dodgy" part of the neighbourhood. Few would come here unless they seek trouble or a less-than-safe solution to problems. Drugs, gambling, prostitution, crime was rife in this street and Freya had to keep her head on a swivel to watch the dark alleyways as she approached the brightly lit club. The sign read <em>the devil's promise</em>. A subtle message to those who sought a particular service from its owner, who took over the business after the previous landlord mysteriously disappeared. Inside music blasted with noise as hundred or so customers, many students and young adults mistaking this as the next hot venue, danced away and mingled with each other unaware of the sinister operation being conducted behind closed doors. Those who strived to meet the new owner would either leave satisfied or not at all, their bodies never to be seen again.</p><p>Freya could sense the evil hovering over this building as she hesitated outside, a cold shiver running up her skin as she pulled the hood over her head. She took a breath, remembering why she was here, and marched forward only to be stopped by the bouncer. "Club is for members only" he said bluntly standing in her path.</p><p>She looked up at him, her pendant around her neck telling him he was in fact mortal and thus couldn't use her magic on him. Thinking on her feet she quickly concocted a story. "My boyfriend was supposed to meet me outside but he must've already gone in. can I just look around and I promise…"</p><p>"Nice try" he interrupted her remaining in her way.</p><p>She sighed quietly realising she wouldn't just be able to bluff her way in like a mortal. Freya was adept at many things but sadly she wasn't a very good liar. Her noble honesty is admirable but in this job duplicity is what will keep the wolves at bay. But bless her she persisted, changing strategy and seeking the most efficient approach like she was taught. "Okay" she said stepping closer to the bouncer so she could whisper. He leant in to listen as she told him "I'm here to see the owner. I was told he can grant wishes, or… you know?"</p><p>The man was silent examining the young girl carefully. "If you're here to see the boss then you should have a VIP pass."</p><p>Freya held onto her smile while making a show of patting her pockets. "Oh, I swear I had it on me. Please, if you can just…"</p><p>"No pass, no entry, no exceptions" he replied. She tied one last fruitless attempt, barging past him, but he simply grabbed her and threw her out of the line into the cold street. She rolled over onto her back looking up at the bouncer as he quietly told her "go home kid. It's better this way." She wasn't sure if he was being genuine and warning her off, returning to his post to watch the door leaving her to take her leave.</p><p>But ever the stubborn young girl she is, Freya refused to simply give up and return home. After brushing herself off she circled around the block hoping to find another way in. establishments like <em>The Devil's Promise</em> liked to conduct their illicit business in private, so back doors were customary to keep prying eyes away. Freya hoped such a door could be found without meeting further resistance. As expected such a door existed, but was barred shut with no way to unlock it from outside. For a moment she considered blasting it open with a spell until her inquisitive eye caught sight of a balcony above her, one leading into the club on an upper level. Casting a quick glance around the alley she tapped her pendant, her cloak shimmering as her wings grew from her back and she leapt up into the air to hop through the open window.</p><p>The office was dark and deserted, her blue eyes scanning the interior before putting her wings away, her cloak once more falling over her shoulders with a tap of the pendant. The office was lavishly designed with records and photographs of famous faces, all shaking hands with the same pale skinned potbellied man with empty hollow eyes. Seeing him made Freya shiver, remembering what I told her repeatedly about underestimating creatures of his kind. The office was designed to boost this man's ego and boast his many clients. But there was no guarantee how long this room would be empty, so Freya wisely got to work fast.</p><p>Following my instructions in investigation she searched the office, focusing on places that hold the most promise such as his desk. She flipped through his papers, contracts of varying degrees but most of them for legitimate reasons. She opened each drawer one by one until she found one locked tight. Taking the sign that he'd keep his most sensitive documents under lock and key she traced a rune to open the lock, opening the drawer to find a ledger. Bringing it to the table she skimmed through the pages finding names of hundreds of mortals and demons, every transaction in clear black and white. She counted the names and realised just how many there were, mortals who sold their very souls for different gifts. Fame. Money. Love. Power. Each soul then sold on to a demon or entity for their own enjoyment. I had dealt with many soul traders like this, trafficking souls so that upon their demise no matter their judgement their souls were automatically claimed by the residents of Hell. All those mortals who signed this deal had unknowingly damned themselves for all eternity.</p><p>Freya tried to put the feeling of dread out of her mind, flipping to the end of the book to read the most recent entries. She discovered a distinct entry, a transaction with no client name. The rest of the ledger held a clear record of every mortal and demon, but this one was blank. The deal was for a large sum of money into the business, traded for something simply labelled <em>Reaper</em>. It was dated a few days before my ambush, with a similar note on the day after. Half in advance and half after the job was done. Freya's breath caught in her throat as she read the entry, her heart racing. That was the moment a gravelly voice spoke from the doorway, "I don't remember calling for some company tonight."</p><p>Her eyes shot up to see the thin potbellied soul trader standing at the door dressed in a business suit, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, long grey hair falling over his shoulders as his hollow eyes stared at the intruder. Freya had her hood up so he couldn't see her face in the shadows. But he could tell she was at least female. "I guess I could use some entertainment" he muttered closing the door behind him.</p><p>Freya closed the ledger and carefully walked around the desk, carefully slipping one hand into her cloak to reach for the hilt of her spear hooked at the base of her spine. "Mr Nazim?" she asked hoping to put up a façade long enough to come up with a plan. "I was told you can help people get what they desire most."</p><p>"Oh yes?" Nazim smiled, walking casually over to her, purposefully stepping a little too close pushing her against the desk. "And what is it you desire? A passing grade? Fortune? The love of your life?" he grinned baring yellowed teeth as he leant forward whispering quietly "what can I help you with, little birdie?"</p><p>Freya felt like the rug had been pulled from under her, the man's words catching her off guard. For a moment she missed the indicators until she saw the menacing gleam in his empty eyes and realised he called her <em>birdie</em> for a reason. Demons always referred to her kind in insults and slurs, the most common being references to winged creatures. She hadn't fooled him. he knew who she was.</p><p>She immediately sprinted away from the desk, the man laughing as she pushed past him watching her bolt for the door. She reached out to grab the handle only to find it locked, rattling the frame trying to get out. "I know who you are little girl" Nazim taunted sitting back against the desk, smiling arrogantly as she spun around to glare at him. He hand reached back to grab her spear, but to her horror it was missing. "Looking for this?" he asked holding up the retracted weapon he'd pickpocketed from her in her haste to escape. She stared at it as the broker laughed again. "Does you're mentor know you're here?" He asked looking over his shoulder at the ledger sitting on his desk. "I'm guessing not. So what brings his pet angel out into the bad neighbourhood?"</p><p>"12th of May 2019" she replied, her face looking calm and collected while her mind frantically searched for a way out.</p><p>Nazim furrowed his brow for a moment before barking into another laugh. "Oh! You're here because you think I'm behind the old man's demise. Please girlie, if you really think I'm that smart why would I commit the crime in my old place of business?"</p><p>"I didn't say where he was attacked" she snapped, cautiously circling around the room.</p><p>Nazim paused. Even though he was supposedly clever the little maneuverer Freya pulled to outfox him into admitting he was involved wasn't difficult. Nazim never was the brightest soul trader. It was why I kept him around so long. "Oh dear" he sighed rising to his feet. "I guess I have said too much. Okay then. How about a trade? I'm in need of some new dancers at my club. If you're willing to work for me, I'll tell you everything you want to know about how poor old Marcus Blake met his untimely death."</p><p>"He's not dead" Freya smiled, knowing that would catch a reaction from the broker. "You really think I'd come here all alone? He's outside just waiting to storm in and find you. You may want to start running."</p><p>Nazim hesitated only a moment. Freya believed her bluff to have worked but he just laughed. "You think I'm that stupid? I was there. I saw it all. He didn't survive what was coming for him. I'm just sorry I couldn't be the one to run that blade through his back but I was more than happy to lure him in for the kill."</p><p>He turned his head to reach over for the ledger, intending to return it to his desk. As soon as his gaze was averted Freya was charging at him, using the brief opening to bash him into the desk. He was too slow to react fast enough as she collided with him, sending them both to the floor with a clattering of furniture. She leapt to her knees as fast as she could, her objective to grab her weapon from the floor after knocking it out of his reach and then spring to her feet and sprint for the window. He was on his feet just as quickly however, lashing out his hand to grab her hood and yank her back to the floor. She landed with a thud, her skull slamming against the ground dazing her as he cursed and swore angrily. He was above her seconds later, straddling her hips pining her down as she fought against him. he was stronger however, one swift backhand across her cheek stunning her long enough for his hand to wrap around her throat, the other holding her wrist to her side as she tried to bring her weapon up to defend herself.</p><p>"Hush now little girl" he whispered, his grin sadistic as he choked her, her legs flailing useless behind him. "You'll be joining him once I'm done with you." His head reared back as his hollow eyes fixated on her, a long and sharp inhale making her body freeze as she felt her essence get drawn into him. Freya gasped as the air left her lungs, faint wisps of her soul rising out of her mouth to drift closer and closer to the potbellied man as he sucked her soul out of her. His stomach glowed and hummed with the voices of all the trapped spirits contained within, eager to greet the next in his little collection.</p><p>Freya watched as the white mists of her spirit left her body, feeling the life drain out of her with every passing second she was trapped under him. Her fingers fiddled with the hilt of her weapon frantically, trying to find the switch she needed while attempting to manoeuvre her grip towards the broker. He grinned maniacally as he inhaled harder, her soul almost his until the silver blade sprung out of the hilt and stabbed through his neck.</p><p>His breath got lost in his throat, blood gurgling out of his open mouth as he grip loosened, allowing Freya to gasp for breath pulling her soul back into her body before kicking him off her. She was left struggling for breath on the floor nursing her neck, pushing herself away from the man thankful to be alive. Her heartbeat was frantic, fear and relief bombarding her as she quietly apologised to me for being so stupid.</p><p>But when she turned to see the soul trader dying on the floor she realised she'd made an even bigger mistake. Her spear was still lodged in his throat as he slumped into the foetal position on the ground, blood pouring down his neck choking him. She dashed to his side pulling out the silver blade, pressing her hands to his wound covering her fingers in the sticky substance. "Nazim!" she cried shaking him desperately. "Who hired you? Tell me! Who killed Marcus?"</p><p>Nazim looked up at her with his hollow eyes, his face breaking into one last smile. "I guess that information dies with me" he gloated just before releasing his final breath, all the souls trapped in his belly escaping into the winds. Freya was left crouched over the dead broker screaming his name, desperate to wake him back up so he could tell her what she wanted to know. But it was too late.</p><p>She had no time to think of alternatives as there was banging on his office door, his staff calling his name due to the commotion they heard. Freya snapped up to panic, her hands covered in Nazims blood knowing she'd be caught red handed for his murder. Pulling her hood over her head she darted to her feet, grabbing her spear as well as the ledger from his desk. The door splintered as it was kicked in, the bouncers and security guards barging in to find the hooded intruder in the middle of the room, her hands stained dark red holding his ledger standing over the dead body. They immediately called for her to stop but she was already sprinting for the open window, leaping out into the night air where she flew off into the darkness before any of them could catch her.</p><p>She returned to the Well of Souls and started pouring through the ledger for hours, desperately searching for a clue to Nazim's mystery clients. She searched every page, cross checked every name, but it was hopeless. Nazim was the only one who knew the identity of my killer and he was now dead. That was the moment she finally broke, her hope shattered into pieces. She screamed, cried, threw a tantrum and trashed her room, whatever she needed to do. She simply just wept in despair a solitude. She would visit my room some time later to find me asleep, intending to explain what had transpired. But upon seeing me she couldn't bring herself to confess her failure, leaving quietly to grant me a peaceful slumber. We never spoke of that night.</p><p>If she had talked to me I would've listened and consoled her. She did nothing wrong and I was more thankful she was alive then angry she cost us our best lead. As I said, I've come to terms with my fate. Knowing who and why wouldn't change that. I let her tell me in her own time, if ever that would come. All I know for sure is after she retreated from my bedroom she went to the Court of Judges to think. Maybe to grieve in peace. That was the moment she would look down and see the young remnant pass through the court and witness his judgement. Somehow that moment gave her hope again. But hope in what?</p><p>"Are you sure moping around in your room is the best course of action right now?" I asked her, finally pushing the wheelchair through her door to greet her.</p><p>She immediately wiped her eyes and put on a brave face. She didn't want me to see her scared or weak. That's my fault. I taught her to always show confidence even if you are filled with doubt. Useful in battle but flawed in times like these. And I could always see her doubt. "I'm not moping" she replied defensively. "I'm just sick of everyone treating me like a child."</p><p>I wanted to tell her that she was, and always will be in my eyes, but I believe that would've had a negative reaction. I just sat back in my chair and looked up at her, a comforting presence. "You know it's not your fault" I told her. "It is not your responsibility to protect my legacy."</p><p>"Somebody has to" she snapped. "The world needs a reaper Marcus. So many things out there want to invade the mortal world. They're all waiting for you to die so they can disrupt the balance. Without you everything will fall apart."</p><p>"Azrael has been protecting the Well of Souls for centuries, with an army to rival those of any invasion. He'll be more than capable…"</p><p>"It's not enough! He's not enough and I can't…" She paused to take a breath, her emotions getting the better of her bringing fresh tears to her eyes. "If you won't let me save you then at least let me make sure the mortal realm is protected."</p><p>"That is not your responsibility" I insisted. But like any stubborn teenager she refused to listen to me. "I'm the one who failed Freya. I let my guard down and I got sloppy. But it is not your job to take my place. That's not why I trained you all these years. You are meant for something greater than this, not stuck in this tomb with me. Let the mortals fend for themselves and trust the Well of Souls has a plan to protect the balance."</p><p>She looked at me and for the first time in a long time I saw something I wish I had seen long before now. Horror and anguish, anger towards me. All those years she followed my lead without question, knowing it conflicted with her own independent compass yet she remained loyal. For a moment I witnessed the defiance in her eyes, but only a moment. For a second later her gaze fell and she refused to utter another word in protest even though I could see she wanted to.</p><p>Not for the first time in the last few weeks I wonder if I raised her correctly. Did I teach her the right lessons? Or have I taken a girl of such promise and twisted her into someone more like… Well, more like me?</p><p>My thoughts were interrupted when Azrael found his way into the room, back from the mortal realm where he had intended to take the remnant in hopes of returning him to his body. He had discussed the matter with me first, agreeing returning the boy would solve all our problems. Alas he reported grave news. "It didn't take" he told me.</p><p>"I see. And what about our other option?" I asked him, referring to a dreaded plan B I reluctantly propositioned. In the past if a remnant would arise we had two choices; return the separated soul to its host or permanently sever the link. If the host body was to be killed there would be no living ties binding the soul to the mortal plane and thus would revert to an ordinary spirit. It was the simplest answer.</p><p>Azrael was hesitant to openly discuss it in front of Freya, who sat quietly on the bed. "I considered it" he explained cryptically. "However it appeared the body is protected by some outside force. I'm not sure what yet but I fear any attempt to engage it would prove risky."</p><p>An interesting conundrum at this time. What power could possibly be interested in keeping a boy like that a remnant? I have my suspicions, one in particular that intrigues me. Is it possible Freya is right? Could this boy have been chosen to replace me? "Where is the boy now?" I asked my friend.</p><p>"He's still in the mortal realm" he reported. "I'm tracking him so he won't get too far. He said he wanted to be alone." I could understand the boy's need for solitude. The first time I visited my own grave was difficult. I have a good idea of what Jackson White must be feeling right now. "Anyway, I think I've left him roaming the living world long enough. I intend to pull him back into the Well where I can keep him locked up and safely out of harms way."</p><p>"Wait a moment" I called to him, a thought coming to my mind in that instant. Treating the boy like a prisoner wouldn't solve anything. He wants answers just as much as we do. Wouldn't it be more beneficial if he was to work with us? Which means he needs to gain our trust. And there is only one person out of the three of us he seems to have earned a connection with.</p><p>I turned to my young ward. "Maybe you should be the one to bring him back in, my dear?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>27</p><p>The walk through Derby was longer than Jack hoped it would be. Turns out his knowledge of the city was less detailed than he thought it was. He got lost the moment he got out the gate, getting turned around multiple times looking for the correct route back to the city centre. He thought everyone was exaggerating when they complained about Derby's winding road system but now he understood why they hated this maze.</p><p>This left him time to think. He would always take a walk most days to clear him head, sometimes just to get some air or to contemplate a puzzle that needed solving. But recently he came to regret these moments of peaceful solitude. His thoughts were always consumed with the harsh reality that he wasn't happy with his life. He was an outsider watching all these people walking by him, none of them even offering a glance in his direction. He felt like a ghost long before he died, walking alone in the streets while they jogged along holding hands with friends or their significant other. It sounds petty he knew, complaining about loneliness when he himself is responsible for never engaging with other people. He thought he had time to find love after he'd sorted his own life out. Now he was dead and he was still alone like a ghost. He shook the dark thoughts from his mind, pushing them back before they could drag him into the pit of despair he occasionally found himself falling into. A trained professional might suggest Jackson was suffering from depression or social anxiety if they diagnosed him, if they heard his account of how some days are like running on autopilot while others are like watching life play out behind thick glass. How he would put on a smile and hide behind a façade while inside all he could feel was white noise and the thrum of his heart beat. He questioned his place in the bigger picture wondering if his presence made a difference to the people around him. Every day he would go to bed and ask himself who would actually miss him if he'd just vanished. <em>If he just died</em>.</p><p>That's why seeing himself in that hospital bed was a harrowing experience. The bandages on his wrist made him think of the videos and TV shows that showcase the sensitive topic of suicide, people who slit their wrists in an attempt to just end the pain. <em>How many times had he contemplated that choice? In how many of his dreams was he standing on the ledge of the viaduct</em>? <em>How many times did he picture himself standing up there looking down at the uneven concrete beneath thinking</em> "<em>it would be so easy"</em>? Every week the thought came to him. And each time the idea became less of a fantasy and more of an inevitability. Whenever he casually made the joke about how tired and depressed he was, laughing at how he felt like he should just kill himself, he wondered at what point he'd say it feeling like he wasn't joking.</p><p>He continued walking through the bustling streets, his cap pulled over his eyes where his cracked glasses glinted in the sunlight. He didn't bring his hood up because he thought it made him look too suspicious otherwise. Eventually he stepped onto a road he recognised, immediately turning right and following it around the block towards a main road where he could branch off to find an apartment complex. He had to find her before the dark void hovering over him consumed him. He never told anybody about what he was feeling, how his mind would spiral into this void. He thought he could handle it alone, fix whatever was broken. When he figured out he was the one who was broken however things got even harder. <em>How could he explain it? How can anyone else help him if he doesn't understand what's wrong?</em> But he found a solution all by himself, a light that he could hold onto, a beacon in the void. He found that light the day he met Kassie L'amahle. She was the only light in his world that could keep it at bay. Willing to do anything, including rise from the dead, to find her again.</p><p>He reached the street where her apartment was located, memorising the route they'd travelled together so many times. Each time he offered to walk her home he wanted to spend that little more time with her, clinging to those precious seconds like gold dust. He enjoyed her company in more ways than she could have ever known. And now, as he approached the front door, he hesitated. <em>What am I going to do? Knock? "Hi Kassie. I'm back. I just took a trip to the afterlife, but I'm okay now. My body's just in a coma and set to have life support switched off any day now."</em> <em>I must be out of my mind</em>, he thought looking up towards her apartment window. He hadn't visited her place that often, mostly just waited outside and saw her to the door. But he'd been inside her flat and could work out which window was her's, hoping to catch a glimpse of her to make sure she was home. Make sure she was safe. "Have you even noticed I'm gone?" he wondered aloud. He found himself chuckling. <em>Why would you? You never saw me the way I saw you. I'm not important. I never was.</em> "I miss you" he whispered sadly.</p><p>His ears suddenly picked up the sound of voices coming in on the breeze, bringing his attention to the bottom of the street where he saw a small cluster of figures walking up towards him. Hurriedly turning his face away he spun and crossed the road, his feet picking up the pace when he recognised the tell-tale sound of Ajay's laughter. "I'm telling you, that's going to be my new favourite coffee shop" he said to the group, his eyes gleaming with happiness dressed in his dark green polo neck t-shirt and grey jeans, his bag slung over his chest.</p><p>"The drinks were so stale you could see the mould" Danielle protested standing next to him. She was wearing her classic black and grey attire, black shirt and knee length skirt, grey tights and polished shoes. Beside her Kassie concurred wearing a contrasting cream coloured top with a light grey dress underneath, comfortable brown shoes on her feet.</p><p>Kadin walked opposite Dani beside Ajay. He was still wearing the same outfit Jack saw him in when they were last in Nando's, including the red, white and blue cap on his head. "And did you see the price for a single cup of that stuff?" he asked, his arms waving in the air.</p><p>"Okay, okay" Ajay relented accepting his comrade's point of view as they reached the front of the apartment building. He leant against the lamppost and grinned wistfully. "But you have to admit" he added with a smile. "The girl behind the counter was really hot."</p><p>The whole group rolled their eyes and sighed in response, followed by a little chuckle. This was classic Ajay. Even Jackson, now hidden behind a tall gate across the street with a perfect view of the four of them, couldn't help roll his eyes. "But the coffee was disgusting" Dani stated, phrasing it as a fact. Her way of ending the argument.</p><p>"Well, nobody's perfect" he shrugged.</p><p>Kadin rubbed his brow mocking frustration. "Fine. You can go the overpriced café and drink their horrible coffee and ogle the barista. Meanwhile me and girls will go to a regular coffee shop and drink our hot beverages like a normal person." The girls nodded with him, thus ending the debate.</p><p>Jack stayed out of sight as he listened to the four of them banter, smiling as he watched them interacting like they always would. Ajay would prance around like a clown. Dani was the voice of reason and logic. Kadin kept the peace. And Kassie stood silently nodding politely at his antics. Jack stared at her, watching the way her hair fell over her shoulders. The way her dress swayed in the breeze. How her grey eyes sparkled in the sunlight. It was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again, the whole world slowing to a crawl as she radiated beautiful light like a star. All his fear and doubt just evaporated, his voice whispering a silent "wow" as she smiled. Her smile could melt any boy's heart just as it did his. He was so mesmerized by the sight of her he nearly stepped out of hiding, feeling the urge to walk across the street and meet her gaze, to take her hand in his and just stay there in that moment forever.</p><p>He very nearly did. But then a tiny voice in his head told him <em>you can't.</em></p><p>He froze in place, the rosy haze lifting from his vision letting him look again at the scene before him. He saw the four of them laughing, talking and having a great time. They were fine and happy, just like before. <em>Just like before he died.</em> Jack's heart sank back into his chest as he watched them, realising this was exactly as it should be. He'd seen this scene so many times before every time they would hang out. Happy smiles and playful banter with him trudging just behind them or off to the side. Seeing them happy like this warmed his heart. But now he saw that he played no part in this. In every memory he had standing within their group, if you pulled him straight out nothing would be different. It would play exactly the same way. <em>He didn't matter</em>.</p><p>Jack stared back at the girl of his dreams, watching her face as she gave Ajay another look of amusement, committing her smile to memory. <em>He couldn't go back. I'm dead. I'm just a ghost now</em>. He felt the familiar dark void creeping back into his mind, dragging him back into the shadows where he belonged, his beacon of light fading away.</p><p>Kassie was barely listening to the conversation between Ajay and Kadin over the latest Pokémon release. Her attention was diverted to something out of the corner of her eye. At first she thought it was just a random passer-by. But then she saw, whoever it was, they were standing still watching them. She was about to say something to the others when her eyes glanced over and for a moment she thought she recognised him. Breaking her gaze away from the group she took a step to the side to look at the man, only to find the figure had vanished leaving an empty street.</p><p>"Kassie?" Dani asked, seeing her looking across the road and gently nudging her arm. "You okay?"</p><p>"I thought I saw…" she replied, scanning the area but unable to see anyone. <em>I must be imagining things</em>. "Never mind" she muttered shaking her head, turning back to face her three friends. But when she returned they saw she had tears falling down her rosy cheeks. She found them staring and quickly wiped them clean, unable to figure out why she was suddenly crying. "I'm fine" she said when they asked her, taking a deep breath composing herself.</p><p>"I'm sure he'll be fine Kassie" Kadin told her. They all knew they couldn't ignore the elephant in the room forever. She was able to force herself not to fall apart again and silently nodded as Dani put her arm around her.</p><p>"Yeah, don't worry" Ajay said encouragingly. "Jack will pull through. And then the two of you can get married and have beautiful children together."</p><p>"Ajay!" the all groaned in unison. He looked at them asking what he'd done wrong, protesting his innocence as they gently shoved him off to the side laughing.</p><p>Jackson wasn't there to witness this moment between them. But another watched from above, quietly observing with an amused smile.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 31</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>28</p><p>About half a mile away from the apartment block, where Kassie and her friends continued to hang out, there was a bridge overlooking an overpass. Twenty feet high, stretching wide enough to allow another road to intersect it, leading into the city centre. To the drivers below it was just another overpass. To the drivers above it was just a regular road. To the remnant sitting on the steel banister with his feet dangling over the side, it was a place to think.</p><p>There were few places in Derby where Jack would go to clear his head. He had the canal back home, a quiet path along the waterfront where he could walk in peace. Because of the commute between there and Derby he didn't have time to properly explore the place how he'd like. But he'd cross this overpass almost every day, watching the cars zip underneath him as he walked along, occasionally pausing to admire the view. He adopted the location as his place of tranquillity. Every morning he'd cross this road and look out at the view, taking a moment to breathe and promise himself everything will be okay. And most evenings he'd follow the same path back, reach this spot and go over the day's events. Usually he would think of his feelings for Kassie and his hopes of working through the situation.</p><p>"Why me" he asked quietly looking down at the dual carriageway. "What's the point?"</p><p>It felt like everything in his life had been broken. His world shattered to pieces and there was no way to put it back together. He was dead. His soul was stuck out here while his body lay in a hospital bed kept alive by machines. The love of his life was happy and safe, completely carefree, his friends oblivious to his situation. He wanted so badly to return to their side, hug all of them and tell them how much he missed them. He wanted to see his family so they could tell everything will be okay. But he couldn't. He was lost. A ghost wandering the streets of derby. He can't go back because there isn't a life to go back to. <em>Why am I still here then?</em> He wondered. He could return to the Well of Souls, but then what? He was a remnant, he can't pass through the chamber of judges. He can't be reborn, can't be punished, stuck in limbo without actually being sent to limbo. He can't keep wandering around the land of the living, there was no place for him here. As he stared down at the traffic below Azrael's words came back to him. <em>If a remnant dies outside the host body they won't have an afterlife to go back to.</em></p><p><em>Maybe it's for the best, </em>he thought measuring the twenty foot drop down to the concrete below.</p><p>"Is this seat taken?" a young woman's voice asked him bringing his attention back up to the overpass.</p><p>He looked over his shoulder to find Freya standing on the pavement behind him, a nervous but warm smile greeting him as her big blue eyes reflected the sunlight glistening through her shoulder length blonde hair. She wasn't wearing her cloak or leather armour any longer, instead dressed in a complementing grey and blue modern outfit; pale grey jacket with a high collar, light blue top over a darker blue skirt falling just above her knees, black walking boots with the Velcro straps halfway up her shin. Around her neck she wore a silver pendant that mimicked the image of two wings. Even in his vulnerable state of mind Jack had to admit she looked rather beautiful like this. "Knock yourself out" he replied shrugging, returning his gaze to the view in front of him.</p><p>Freya didn't say anything as she scooted up beside him, hopping off her feet to sit on the bannister facing the opposite direction. She interlaced her fingers on her lap as she surveyed their surroundings, curious blue orbs looking up at the concrete spires making up the city centre before following the lanes of traffic winding out into the distance. "I think I see why you like it up here" she commented politely, her feet swinging gently like a pendulum enjoying the peace and quiet. Jack didn't say anything back, listening to the bustling traffic while the young girl turned her head to examine him. She followed his gaze leading down to the ground below. "I heard Azrael took you to see your body earlier. Are you okay?"</p><p>"I'm not sure how to answer that" he replied sadly. "I can't stay dead because my body is alive, but I can't come back here because I'm supposed to be dead. My body's lying in hospital while my family has to decide whether I should remain plugged into those bloody machines." He looked back at her and asked "how am I supposed to be feeling? Angry? Upset? Depressed?"</p><p>"How do you feel?" she asked compassionately.</p><p>He looked at her, trying to make sense of his emotions before finally replying. "Broken."</p><p>She could offer no words of comfort. She didn't know what she could say to help him. She couldn't begin to understand what he was going through. Her only point of reference was her own pain when she left the White City, but she doubted that was the same. She watched him turn back to the traffic feeling the shared sense of sadness. After a quiet minute she looked down and told him "for the record, it looks rather suspicious when someone sits on a bridge like this. People might get the wrong idea and think you might want to jump."</p><p>Jack chuckled in response. "In my experience I could do handstands along this thing before anybody pays any notice." He understood what she meant though. If he committed suicide now they'd find his body in two places at once. A strange circumstance that'll raise many questions. While he wasn't overly concerned Freya wanted to be sure they were left alone, glancing around the relatively quiet street before tracing a small rune on the steel between them with her finger. Jack watched her draw a diamond with an arrow above it, the rune glowing yellow as a shimmering bubble grew from it and encased the pair of them. He looked at the shimmering air surrounding them, scanning the reflections of passing cars discovering they were now invisible from the outside. "Cute" he muttered looking at the modest angel.</p><p>They sat in silence inside their little private bubble, enjoying each other's company while looking over the city expanding around them. Jack couldn't help but keep glancing in Freya's direction, his hazel eyes examining her back while she stared off into the distance. She could sense his gaze on her, peering back at him out the corner of her eye seeing him quickly avert his gaze. "You were staring" she said peering over her shoulder.</p><p>"Sorry" he said apologetically, feeling like an embarrassed idiot.</p><p>She knew what he was looking for, taking hold of her pendant explaining "This was a gift from my mother. It allows be to conceal them from view as long as I wear it. I can activate it when I like and change them to this jacket, or my cloak. Helps me fit in when I'm walking amongst mortals."</p><p>"Does Azrael have a necklace too?" Jack asked intrigued. "He's supposed to be an angel as well but I've never seen him with wings."</p><p>"Neither have I" she answered curiously after thinking about it. "I never thought to ask him about it. Anyway, mortals can't know my kind exist. I'm not supposed to use my magic in their presence."</p><p>"Remnants aren't regular mortals then" Jack mused. He understood the fact his condition made him dangerous in the afterlife, but he never stopped to consider how it made him special in other cases. If he was still mortal he would never have got to see Freya kick some serious butt back in Ilkeston. "So what did bring a young angel like you to a backwater reality like this?" he asked.</p><p>Freya's expression suddenly changed, her own distant gaze in her eyes. "It's complicated" she said averting her eyes to hide the sombre look in her face.</p><p>"Sorry" he said quietly, realising he'd just touched on a sensitive topic. He tried to change the subject onto a happier note. "You and Marcus seem close…" he said, quickly realising that topic wasn't any better. <em>You're an idiot Jackson.</em></p><p>"Yeah, we…we are" she replied wiping away a tear.</p><p>The silence became deafening inside the bubble, making Jackson uncomfortable. He always hated the silence. Shuffling in his seat to spin around, now perched beside Freya to look at her properly, Jack offered her a comforting smile. She was reluctant to return it. "So why is it so important that I'm the one who replaces him?" he finally asks. He'd been too frustrated and afraid to confront her about this, but now felt like a good a time as any to address it.</p><p>Freya was quiet for a long moment before she turned her gaze back to the young man. "Because then it wouldn't be my fault" she finally admitted. Jack appeared even more confused so she explained, "Marcus found me years ago after I left the White City. I was just a frightened little girl, alone in a strange realm. I was so terrified. He took me in, brought me to the Well where he and Azrael raised me ever since. They taught me so much, trained me to fight and better use my magic. I owe Marcus everything. I guess you could say I became his apprentice, but it was so much more than that. He once said I was like the daughter he never got to have. When he was attacked we tried everything. Every spell and potion we knew, called in every favour Marcus was owed. But nothing worked. So I… Marcus had rules, instructions I had to follow every time we went outside the Well. Never let emotions become a distraction. A single doubt can lead to hesitation that can get you killed."</p><p>"So what made him hesitate?" Jack impulsively quipped. He caught himself after he said it and quickly apologised. "I'm sorry, when my brain makes a joke my mouth usually blurts it out before realising how insensitive it is."</p><p>But Freya had already broken into a laugh. "No, it fine. That was quite good actually" she chuckled, feeling guilty for laughing but glad she was able to see the funny side. "I don't know what happened. Marcus signalled for extraction and we pulled him through the soul bridge. He said he didn't see who attacked him so I… I broke one of the rules. He always told me never to go anywhere on my own, it was too dangerous. But I had to find something to help so I went back to where he was attacked. I followed a lead to a demon who was responsible for setting Marcus up, but he was… He died before I could get him to tell me how hired him. He was our only lead and I blew it. I failed Marcus and now he's going to die, and I don't know if I'm ready to…"</p><p>Freya finally broke down into tears, her despair hidden behind the invisibility bubble for only Jack to witness. He hesitantly put his hand over her as a show of support, unable to figure out what to say to help. She took his hand grateful all the same, sniffling through the waterworks before finishing her story. "I never told him what happened. I thought I could find some way to redeem myself, thought I could find a way to honour his legacy. So when I saw you in the court and saw how the Well intervened on your behalf I thought, if I could prove you were chosen to take over from Marcus, he might forgive me."</p><p>Jackson sighed after listening to all of this, finally seeing why she was pushing so hard for him to be a reaper. "I'm sorry I'm not who you think I am" he said cautiously.</p><p>"But you are. You have to be. Why would the Well protect you if it didn't choose you to be its champion?"</p><p>"Look, I don't have any answers either" Jack clarified. "But I refuse to believe, out of all the potential candidates out there in the multiverse, it chose me. I'm not a hero and I'm certainly not a killer."</p><p>Freya switched to a look of irritation as she sighed. "Why does everyone assume the reaper runs around with a checklist collecting souls? You know Marcus's job is to defend the borders of reality, not ferry the dead back and forth right?"</p><p>"But still, why me?" Jack asked. The conversation fell stale when they realised they could fight like this for hours and not get anywhere. "You've got the wrong guy" he said ending the argument.</p><p>Freya took a deep breath, finally regaining her composure after bursting into tears earlier. She was still adamant she wasn't wrong. Jack has a destiny and she was sure of it. But she could tell there was something else convincing him otherwise. "So who was she?" she asked out of the blue.</p><p>"Who?" Jack asked.</p><p>"The girl you were staring at" she clarified nodding in the direction of the apartments where his friends were mingling. "I saw you over there hiding from them. Saw you looking at the girl, the one we saw in your memories. Who was she?"</p><p>Jack hesitated, his heart clenching as he thought about her once more. "Her name's Kassie" he explained, feeling no point in holding back anymore. "She's a…<em>was</em> a friend."</p><p>"You seemed to like her."</p><p>"I did. Well, more than like actually. This past year I kept hoping we'd become more than friends. But I was too afraid of losing what we already had, so I never said anything. It wouldn't have mattered."</p><p>"Why not?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.</p><p>"Because she doesn't feel the same way" he told her. "I'm pretty good at reading people, benefit of being the most invisible person in the room. She only sees me as a friend. I guess she can just forget I exist all together."</p><p>"You really think you're that worthless" Freya asked him. He looked up at her as if it was obvious. "I'm sure she misses you."</p><p>"Yeah, sure" he said quietly. "I doubt any of them realised I was dead."</p><p>"Well, from what I saw they seem really worried" she told him. He glanced up at her, a look of disbelief as she explained, "I saw them after you left. Kassie thought she saw you and she just started crying. She's devastated, they all are. You can't see it because you're too caught up in your own head, but those people back there care about you. You matter to them. You're not worthless Jack. You won't be forgotten. There's a reason the Well chose you."</p><p>Jack heard what Freya was trying to say but he bring himself believe in her words. But he appreciated hearing them, the dark fog hovering around him lifting just a bit to let him breathe. "I guess" he muttered. "Probably easy for you to say considering all the years you have under your belt."</p><p>Freya looked back with shock, a mildly amused expression forming on her face. "How old do you think I am?"</p><p>Jack's guard immediately went up. He learnt from experience about presuming people's age and knew people easily got offended. He was usually terrified of offending people and would avoid such topic like the plague, but sometimes things slipped. He often made a point to apologise in advance for any offence he may inadvertently cause. "Sorry, I thought… You're an angel. I always imagined you guys to be, like, centuries old."</p><p>She chuckled rolling her eyes. "Mortals" she sighed. "Time just works differently in the White City. We're not immortal or eternal, though we do live a lot longer." She paused to look back and find Jack raising his eyebrows expectantly. Now that she brought it up he was curious, but didn't want to offend her by asking. "In your earth years, I'm nineteen" she told him.</p><p>Jack nodded, genuinely surprised. "Wow, okay. So…" He wanted to ask how her age differed where she came from, figuring it was safer to ask "So when Azrael and Marcus keep calling you a…"</p><p>"Child?" she finished with a huff. "Marcus found me years ago so I'll always be a child in his eyes. But Azrael… I'm not a kid anymore. Just because I haven't attended the maturity ceremony back home doesn't mean I'm not grown up. That's the one thing I do envy you mortals for. You don't have any stupid traditions holding you back from being accepted as an adult."</p><p>"I don't know, we have our traditions. Birthdays, first drinks, first kiss…" Jack paused realising how much he'd missed out on in his life. "I know a few adults who have refused to grow up over the years. But I also know a few children who's more mature than the adults." The two of them shared a quiet chuckle, spirits lifted sitting on the banister. "I'm not the man you think I am" he said sadly, genuinely wishing he could be.</p><p>Freya looked back at him, hesitant to just let go of the hope she'd been holding onto. "Maybe" she said, pushing herself off the railing onto the pavement. Turning back she offered him her hand. "Maybe we can find out together?"</p><p>Jack looked down at her outstretched hand. "Is this the part where you convince me to come back to the afterlife?"</p><p>"This is the part where I ask you to" she replied. "I'll understand if you decide to stay. But I really want you to come back."</p><p>Jack stared up at her as she waited patiently for him to consider her request. He glanced back over his shoulder to the bustling traffic below, the dark thoughts whispering in his ear subsiding. He sighed in relief, his mental health back in order for a moment allowing him to come to a decision. He couldn't stay here. Unless he finds a way to return to his body his family and friends think he's as good as dead. If staying with Freya and Marcus and Azrael in the Well of Souls will help him understand his new reality, then what other choice was there. With a deep breath he brought up his hand, reaching out to accept Freya's offer and return with her.</p><p>But before he could take her hand he stopped. "Jack?" Freya said, concerned when he pulled away. His gaze fell down at his own hand as the brand glowed orange in his palm. Something in his gut pulled at him, an instinctive tug. <em>Something's wrong</em>.</p><p>His eyes snapped up to Freya, whose eyes suddenly flickered up to look over his shoulder hearing something skim through the air. Before the two of them knew it they were launched off their feet by an explosion.</p>
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<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 32</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>29</p><p>The mortal's screams echoed across the dark room as the blade cut into his skin, nails digging into the armrests of the chair, and yet he continued to remain still as instructed. The Vanguard smiled, admiring the boy's resolve. He continued the process, dragging his knife through the boys flesh cutting all the way to the bone. The ritual was agonisingly painful but necessary for the last phase of their ascension. The pale skinned boy gritted his teeth as blood poured over his face, dripping down his chest where more cuts marked his skin. They had been here for hours performing this ritual, his cries and screams filling the building. The only interruption they had to deal with was when the landlord knocked on the door, having received complaints from the neighbours about the noise. It was the demon who answered, opening the door to greet the middle aged man with a scaly face, blazing orange eyes and snarling teeth politely telling the landlord to not disturb them again. When the man refused, believing his appearance to be a costume, the Vanguard just smiled. He returned to the ritual fifteen minutes later after paying the neighbours a visit ensure they wouldn't pose any further issue.</p><p>He had his doubts initially. Few demons would dare undergo this particular ritual in their quest for power. But this mortal had willingly been preparing for months ever since he gained an audience with their Dark Lord, traveling the city seeking the tools and artefacts hidden within the mortal realm. He gathered trinkets humans thought meaningless that had purpose even now. They had power they couldn't understand. So much potential in humanity squandered on daytime TV, internet, poverty and politics. All that potential blinded by their own ignorance. When the Vanguard had been selected to prepare the boy he wondered if the mortal had what it took to open a breach in the barrier of reality, let alone bring his master's army to the land of the living. His doubts were quelled when the portal opened and he stepped through and found the mortal waiting for him. "Master" the boy said in greeting kneeling before the armoured demon.</p><p>"No, but our Lord is pleased with your progress" he replied. The mortal asked no questions, eager to serve them and fulfil his promise. All the Vanguard had to do was up hold the mortal's request to become more powerful and perform the ritual. If by some miracle the boy survived the process he would be ready to ascend alongside his new master. If he doesn't, then it was the demon's duty to open the breach in his stead and ensure the Dark Lord crossed the barrier without interruption.</p><p>The final mark was etched into the mortal's skull, intersecting lines running across his brow, across both sides of his face, down his cheeks and jaw and through the bridge of his nose up to his forehead. An exact pattern mirrored on his chest and back, cutting into muscle and bone covering his body in red blood. The Vanguard stepped back to examine his work, careful to get the markings exact. The mortal sat slumped in his seat, blood pooling beneath his feet, wearing the mark of his eternal master. He stood silent as the boy breathed, choking on his own blood, raising his head to glare at the demon through his one good eye. "The pain will continue to be unpleasant" he told the boy, his upper lip curling in a smile. He didn't think the mortal would live. The blade had been coated with a spice rare amongst the humans that cauterised the wounds he inflicted, ensuring the victim wouldn't die from blood loss. It was usually shock from the torture that claimed them. But the boy proved resilient.</p><p>"My whole life has been nothing but pain" the mortal replied, looking down at the deep markings running down his arm to the back of his hand. "I can handle this. I can handle anything."</p><p>"Bold words from a member of such a fragile race" he said returning the knife to the antique bowl. Now that he'd had time to observe the boys resolve closely he looked forward to what carnage he may bring when granted his gifts. As he stepped closer to the open window his nose caught a scent on the breeze, something that made the scales jutting from his spine tingle. He walked over to the window and looked out into the brightly lit city, the stench of humanity bringing a scowl to his face. But amongst them was something else. He smelt magic in the air. "I've done all that's been needed of me" he said to the mortal as he dragged himself out of his chair towards the alter. "Tomorrow your ascension will be complete. Assuming you are ready to uphold your end of the deal?"</p><p>"I'm ready" a determined voice said behind him.</p><p>But the Vanguard's gaze was on the roads outside. He was a hunter, able to follow the scent of prey across wastelands of blood soaked battlefields. His piercing orange eyes looked out over the city and found a flicker of light in the distance. A brief flicker of magic not half a mile away from him. He recognised the smell from the portal. From the girl on the other side. "I must go" he declared picking up his two swords from their place beside the alter where his helmet rested.</p><p>"Where?" the mortal asked kneeling before the bowl to clean his face.</p><p>"Another matter has been brought to my attention. A pest that must be dealt with." He strapped his weapons to his hips and looked down at the boy. "Do not concern yourself. All that should matter is our master's arrival. If I do not return you will continue your duty without me. Is that understood?"</p><p>"Yes" the mortal bowed.</p><p>The Vanguard picked up his helmet and marched out of the building, leaving the mortal alone trusting him to keep his word. He stormed through the streets clad in his black armour, a few of the passing mortals even looking up to glance at his appearance. It was astonishing how much could happen under their noses without them batting a single eye. He crossed roads halting traffic as they honked at him, staring at his reptilian skin and steel plating but wise enough not to get out of their vehicles. He followed the scent of the young angel who'd disrupted their plan in the town several miles away, killing his comrades and closing the breach before they could create a diversion to mask his master's arrival and test if the rumours of the Reaper's demise were false. Instead only a single demon had fled into their realm alongside him and she was more interested in going into hiding.</p><p>He approached a junction teaming with traffic, walking through the middle of the intersection causing cars to swerve around him as he followed his nose, pausing on a crossing to look up at an overpass many yards ahead of him. He sniffed again. She was there even if his eyes couldn't see her, her magic cloaking her position. <em>Why would this angel be here if not to hunt us</em>, he pondered? Maybe it was mere coincidence she was in his proximity. Or maybe it was fate. <em>Either way, she won't see the night</em>.</p><p>Drawing one of his blades the ink black steel hummed with demonic power, forged in the pits of his master's realm infused with the scream of a thousand souls. With a subtle twist of his grip orange flames engulfed the blade, tiny seams detaching turning the solid steel into a chain of sharp arrowheads linked by cackling energy like a whip. And like a whip the Vanguard cracked it, the tip snapping with a sharp <em>snap, </em>sending a shard of his blade slicing through the air towards its target. From the street below he watched as the concrete overpass erupted in an explosion, ripping through the structure sending rubble everywhere as mortals screamed in panic, car tires screeching to a standstill as a thunderous boom shattered the nearby windows.</p><p>The city fell into chaos and the Vanguard just smiled.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Chapter 33</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>30</p><p>The explosion took out a large chunk of the middle of the overpass, engulfing the steel banister and the concrete pavement and kicking up a van's length of the tarmac next to it. Cars nearby veered off-course around the dust cloud, smashing into other vehicles or careening into oncoming traffic. The handful of civilians crossing the overpass were thrown backwards onto the ground by the concussive blast, covering their heads or protecting their children as debris rained over them. The explosion ignited in red flames covering the road with a thick dust cloud, obscuring the true target of the projectile.</p><p>The black shard struck underneath the road in the exact place where the shimmering magic bubble was encasing the two supernatural figures. Only one of them sensed the missile before it struck, unsure how to interpret the tingling in the base of his skull until the floor erupted beneath him catapulting both of them into the air. They flew over the side along with the rubble, flailing their arms and legs falling down to the traffic below. The piece of steel holding the rune cracked causing the invisibility bubble to dissolve inside the dust cloud, leaving the two young figures exiting the cloud to fall headfirst into the street.</p><p>There was a few things everyone forgot to mention about Jackson's new status as a remnant. They told him of how he was a toxic influence in the afterlife, corrosive to anything in limbo and the inhabitants. What they didn't tell him was in the living world his body, because of his soul being partially dead, became more durable to external force. Increased density and bone structure gave him slightly enhanced strength and heighted cell division in his skin which made him tougher all around. As a result, when Jack plummeted into a passing fiat below the impact didn't snap his spine like it should've, instead getting the wind knocked out of him and leaving with a few scratches from the cracked windscreen.</p><p>Freya had no such enhancements. Her angelic physiology let her live longer and protected against most human and astral diseases, but if she struck the tarmac her skull would split open just like any mortal's. She couldn't summon her wings even if she had time, too many witnesses to see her. Fortunately she got lucky, a large van screeching to a stop beneath her as it veered around a chuck of concrete. She quickly angled her fall so her shoulder hit the roof, bouncing along the aluminium surface and rolling off the side onto the ground where she kept rolling, scattering the impact so she didn't break anything. She thanked the heavens for remembering her physical training for such an event. She recovered fast, the brief window of cover from the surrounding vehicles giving her a few seconds to roll to her feet and reach behind her back to find the sheathed spear hooked to the base of her spine. She couldn't risk changing into her battle attire but she would be damned if she was going to stay unarmed. The spear sprung to full length the moment it left her jacket, the silver blade glinting as she rose to her knees examining the chaos.</p><p>"JACK?" she called out, looking beneath the crumbling overpass for any sign of him. She spotted him a few yards away as the fiat hit the brakes, sending him flying off the bonnet onto the floor with a grunt. His hat was lost in the explosion and his red hoodie was torn, but otherwise he was no worse for wear. He checked his glasses and was amazed to find they survived. Picking himself off the ground he looked across the road to see her waving her arm as she stood up.</p><p>
  <em>HONK!</em>
</p><p>The car horn startled the angel as she spun her head to look behind her. Her eyes widened as the sound of screeching tires filled her ears, the large metallic shape heading straight at her. Her reflexes were too slow, her body sluggishly trying to leap out the way only to collide with the car sending her hurtling across the bonnet. The spear flew from her hand clattering to the ground a few feet away as her body collapsed limply in a heap.</p><p>"FREYA!" Jackson's cry bellowed witnessing the accident, leaping to his feet to sprint over to her as the car came to a stop. The driver flung the door open staring at the young girl, babbling an apology of how he didn't see her. "CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Jack shouted at him, ignoring the man so he could dive to his friend's side. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises, a red gash across her forehead covered by her dirt covered blonde hair. He carefully rolled her onto her side, frantically examining her to see if anything was broken. He wasn't a doctor, he had no idea what he was looking for. "Freya?" he whispered gently shaking her shoulder. "Freya, talk to me!" He was relieved to hear a faint groan come from her mouth. She was alive. With a sigh of relief he screamed at the crowd gathering around them again, "SOMEBODY GET THAT AMBULENCE!" He checked her over again, closly counting the scrapes and grazes on her palms, her knees, her face and body. He carefully lifted her head to check for a skull fracture but she didn't appear to be bleeding anywhere else. "It's going to be okay" he whispered holding her still. "You're going to be okay."</p><p>While Jackson was tending to Freya the traffic had finally come to a standstill, the drivers all getting out of their vehicles to either shout at one another, inspect the damage to their cars and the road or call the emergency services. People on the overpass peered over the side to see the carnage left in the explosion's wake, camera phones recording the whole incident. The panic had subsided enough for everyone to calmly figure out their stories for this bizarre accident. That was until the second explosion rocked the chattering noise.</p><p>Everyone on the street looked up as a thundering boom sent sparks and metal into the air several yards away, crowds of people suddenly screaming and fleeing in their direction. Jack lifted his gaze trying to peer over the cars in front of him, unable to see what everyone was pointing at as they fled. He did see a blur of motion slicing through the air cleaving a car in two, the frame folding in on itself before whatever was in the road kicked the two halves aside. Jackson's blood ran cold when he saw the demon step out of the wreckage.</p><p>"Beings of man" the scaly humanoid demon with blazing orange eyes spoke, his cold reptilian voice echoing over the cries and screams of the crowd as he walked forward. His black and grey armour glinted mutely in the sunlight, heavy boots stomping along the tarmac crunching metal under his feet. His dark green skin passed through the heat of the fires burning around him without feeling any pain, his hands wrapped confidently around the two sword handles as the blades dragged along the ground in the form of two twelve foot long chains connected by orange energy sparking leaking petrol and igniting many small explosions in the vehicles around him. The helmet on his head reflected the growing flames, the thick horns protruding out the front aimed squaring on his desired target. "Step away from the girl and no more need be harmed" he called out, flexing his muscles and flicking the chains in front of him, slicing a pair of hatchbacks like they were butter.</p><p><em>It can't be him</em>, Jack thought. <em>The same guy from Ilkeston? What are the chances? </em>The demon he heard the creatures in limbo refer to as the Vanguard stormed towards them. He couldn't understand how he found them. <em>Was this a coincidence? Are they hunting them? </em>He looked down at Freya trying to shake her awake, telling her she had to get up. They couldn't stay here. But she was in no condition to move and he was reluctant to just leave her. "What do you want with her?" Jack called to the demon.</p><p>"That's no concern of yours, mortal" he growled. "Now step aside."</p><p>With a flick of his wrists both chains whipped out with a crack, sending black shards spinning around the street exploding on impact. People screamed diving for cover, running away, while Jack shielded Freya from the raining sparks and debris. The projectiles were tiny compared to the shard that destroyed the overpass, meant only to scare the fearful mortals away. But Jack proved resilient staying by the angel's side. <em>No matter</em>, the vanguard thought advancing on them.</p><p>His attention was diverted when sirens blared behind him, the sound of police cars speeding towards the crash site making the demon turn. Most formed a perimeter at the end of the street, but this one charged through the traffic through the path the demon had carved to get a closer look. <em>Foolish mortals</em> he mused, spinning on his heel to swing his weapons in the air. The tip shot out and sliced down through the hood of the vehicle, sending it spiralling end over end blocking the way for further interference. The mortals inside pulled themselves out of the wreckage and wisely retreated back to safety. They weren't prepared for anything like this.</p><p>This left Jackson alone in the street cradling Freya, with the demon standing a dozen feet away. He looked around the debris, possibly for an exit, except Freya still wouldn't come round. His eyes fell onto her spear half buried a few feet away glinting in the sunlight. Jack weighed his options. The demon was after her. He could run away and be safe. But after everything she'd done to help him he couldn't leave her to die. <em>What do I have left to live for anyway?</em> Reaching over into an open car door and pulling out a small blanket left on the car seat Jack gently lowered Freya back onto the ground, using the blanket to cushion her head. "I'll be back" he promised her rising to his feet.</p><p>The Vanguard surveyed the destroyed dual-carriageway, analysing the surrounding cars barricading him from the police circling him, smiling in satisfaction. It felt good to unleash a little destruction in his master's name again. He had a task though and this bought him time. The mortals couldn't stop him anyway. His chains retracted back into solid black swords, twirling them in his hands as he walked back towards the young angel he was hunting. He was greeted by the sight of the mortal boy standing in front of her protectively with the silver spear in his hands, a determined expression on his face. "I will not let you hurt her" Jack told him, holding the spear in both hands pointing it towards the demon. "If you want her, you have to go through me."</p><p>The two of them stood there facing one another. The Vanguard took one look at the boy's stance and swung his sword, knocking the spear out of Jackson's hand before backhanding him out of his path. "Don't be a fool" he said marching past him. "This is beyond you."</p><p>Jack hissed as he picked himself off the floor, wiping the blood pouring out of his nose from where the demon struck him. He looked back to see him standing over Freya's still body, raising his weapons over her to stab down. Jack leapt up to his feet and quickly tackled him, throwing him clear before he could impale her.</p><p>They struggled only briefly, the demon getting his footing to throw Jack over his shoulder onto the ground. "If that's the way you want it" he growled bearing down on the mortal as he clambered up to his feet. "Then so be it."</p><p>Jack saw the Vanguard standing over him as he brought up his weapon, his left hand shooting up to catch his wrist as it swung down. To his shock he caught it, holding it in place with surprising strength. The demon seemed surprised too, but his daze was lifted quickly as his other hand came up with the pointed end of his other blade. Jack reacted without thinking, his right hand launching forward to slam his palm into the demon's chest where he flew back in a blast of orange fire. "Bloody hell!" Jack cried as the Vanguard flew backwards, crumpling against a car at the other end of the street falling to his knees. He looked down at the glowing mark on his hand, thinking back to the other times this managed to help him defeat the demons. He felt angry, figuring that might be a trigger. "Okay, I got this" he muttered retrieving Freya's spear.</p><p>The vanguard let out a frustrated breath as his eyes rose to glare at the boy. He didn't know who this mortal was or how he'd done that, but he'd just made the demon very angry. He rose to his feet to see the Jack taking position in his path, standing between him and his target. The angel's spear glinted in his hands as orange flames flickered around his right wrist. "You have made a grave mistake mortal" he snarled, whipping his swords to his sides unfurling the chain whips.</p><p>"Not this time" Jack replied, confidence in his voice. He felt calm all of a sudden. He wasn't afraid for his own life, didn't care that he was outmatched. He was protecting his friend and it felt <em>right</em>. <em>As it should be,</em> he thought.</p><p>The demon let out a battle cry as he unleashed his chains towards him. Jack dodged and rolled out of their way as they cut through the cars and road, narrowly missing the black metal as he tried to flank the vanguard and stab at him with the spear. He nicked the creature's tough skin making him hiss before spinning back slicing the blades over his head. When he got close enough Jack jumped forward, his fist smacking into the side of the demons head engulfed in a fire ball. The impact sent the demon hurtling to the ground, his helmet rolling across the tarmac revealing him bald reptilian head as it bared its teeth in anger. Jack was glad he worked out how to keep up the fire in his hand, trying to punch him again until he was kicked away. The next crack of the whip caught the spear, yanking it out of his hand disarming him. He watched it clatter next to an unconscious Freya several feet away, safe and oblivious as long as Jack can keep the demons attention on him. "You have spirit mortal" the Vanguard said dodging a blast of energy from Jack's palm. "But you lack technique, skill and discipline" he commented closing the gap, tripping the mortal up and knocking him to the ground. "A foolish effort" he sighed kicking him across the ground into a car.</p><p>Jack collapsed gasping for air, the wind knocked out of him struggling for breath. The fire in his palm died out leaving him defenceless and vulnerable as the demon looked down at him. But he didn't see him as a threat any longer, turning his back on the boy to walk towards the exposed angel. Jack cried out to him, his voice choking trying to get him to turn back and face him, but he was ignored. The demon clicked his jaw back into place from where the mortal got lucky, scowling as he brought up his sword.</p><p>As he approached Freya stirred ever so slightly, her eyelids slowly fluttering open as she softly groaned. The vanguard stood over the young angel with both hands on his weapon, the blade pointed down at her, the sun at his back. "For Marchosias" he decreed.</p><p>At that precise moment Jackson leapt onto his back screaming, grabbing his head in his hands trying to pull him away. The moment his right palm made contact with the Vanguard's skin Jack's vision went hazy, the sound of the demon's painful cry filling his ears as energy shot up his arm like a train, making him black out in an instant.</p>
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<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Chapter 34</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>31</p><p>The fire erupted out of the darkness with a bellowing scream, images and memories flooding Jack's mind until he was trapped in a maelstrom. Everything felt hot and erratic, adrift in an ocean of chaos as the memories of the Vanguard flashed before his eyes. He witnessed the demon's rise out of the gutter in the Dark Realms, fighting his way through the gladiatorial arenas to curry favour with their Lord, earning his right to stand in his master's presence. Jack recoiled in horror as the towering shape of a wolf hovered over him, its blazing red eyes piercing the remnant's mind as its giant wings surrounded him, a snake tail whipping around his back. The image shifted to the moment the Vanguard was chosen to cross the barrier and prepare the mortal asset, seeing the army awaiting to invade the land of the living stretch over the horizon. Thousands of soldiers blotting out the sun as they marched forward. Jack felt the blood on his face as he turned to face the gruesome image of the Vanguard standing over several bloody and mutilated corpses, innocent people killed to avoid alerting the authorities to the suspicious activity in the building. Behind the door in the dark room the mortal sat in a blood red chair, deep cuts marking his skin as he looked up at him, the image of his pale skin and clouded white eye burning into Jackson's memory.</p><p>The two of them collapsed to the ground as the maelstrom ended, the brand on Jack's palm glowing with energy leaving an imprint on the Vanguards face. "Holy…" he gasped landing on his butt, the remains of the vision he'd experienced fading behind his eyes as he blinked back to reality.</p><p>"How..?" the demon coughed, pushing himself off the ground on aching limbs. His weapon had fallen out of his hand, his intentions forgotten, trying to understand what had just happened. He pulled himself up a nearby car to look at his reflection, finding the burn mark on his scaly skin where the brand was pressed. His eye widened, recognising the mark. "HOW?" he cried whirling around to stare at the mortal.</p><p><em>What was that?</em> Jack asked looking down at the smoking mark in his hand, the embers flickering around his fingertips. <em>What did I do?</em></p><p>His thoughts were interrupted when the Vanguard stormed up to his side, grabbing his wrist and throwing him up against the concrete barrier. "WHERE DID YOU GET THIS MARK?" he snapped at the mortal, glaring at the glowing brand. "HOW DID YOU COME BY THIS MAGIC?"</p><p>"I… I don't know" Jack stuttered trying to break out of the demon's grip. He didn't like the glare in the creature's eyes, the charred markings on the side of his face making his expression more grimacing.</p><p>The vanguard wrapped his other hand around Jack's throat, holding him against the barrier baring his teeth angrily. "NO MORTAL SHOULD EVER POSSESS SUCH POWER" he shouted, recalling the last time he'd witnessed the destruction this marking was responsible for. He remembered the smell of charred flesh and rotting corpses, heard the agonising screams on the wind. "HOW DID YOU AQUIRE THE MARK OF HELLFIRE? TALK!"</p><p>The interrogation was cut short when a hot bolt of energy struck the Vanguard in the shoulder, a beam of yellow light cutting through the air blasting off his armoured shoulder plate and punching a chuck of his body from the muscle. The demon cried out in pain releasing the mortal on reflex, clutching at his wound as green blood poured from his shoulder. "Stay away from him!" Freya's voice called out from across the road, the young angel leaning against an overturned car for support. Her skin was covered in cuts, bruises and grazes, several open wounds bleeding across her forehead and knees and palms. Her clothes were tattered and smudged with dirt, a couple of tears cutting through the fabric. In her hands she held her silver spear, the tip glowing with angelic magic and runes pointed directly at the Vanguard. Neither Jack nor the Vanguard saw her recover but they could see from a glance she was still drowsy from the fall and the collision, her stance unsteady and her aim unfocused.</p><p>"You dare strike me girl?" the demon growled, turning back to glare at the angel. She took a painful breath, her tight grip on her weapon shaking trying not to show how disorientated she was. Her initial attack was meant to hit his head. She was lucky not to have hit Jack by accident. "I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD!" the Vanguard snarled taking a menacing step towards her, the heat behind his stare making her hesitate and stumble back against the car nearly tripping over her own feet.</p><p>Jack didn't give himself a chance to hesitate. He leapt up to his feet, the fire igniting in his hand as he took a deep breath. He hoped he'd worked out how this power worked, channelling his anger and fear into his attack focusing on the vanguard. "Leave her alone!" he shouted, drawing the demon's attention at the exact instant he shot his palm out against the Vanguard's back, the sigil of the brand materialising around his hand where a powerful blast of fire erupted through the demon's body, punching through the armour and erupting out his chest like a volcano. The demon stared down at the smouldering hole in his chest, his jaw slack as he slumped down to his knees. Jack and Freya both locked eyes though the gaping hole in his chest, skin turning as black as soot before his whole body fell forward crumbling to ash.</p><p>Jack stared at the pile of ash in front of him, the fire dying in his palm cautiously pushing himself back to his feet. Across the road Freya lowered her spear, climbing along the car to examine the remains of the Vanguard with a look of shock and wonder, looking across at Jack with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" Jack asked her, stepping around the soot pile to carefully approach the shaking angel.</p><p>"I think so" she replied, her body slumping from exhaustion. He was there as quickly as possible, catching her in his arms before she could collapse. "My head's still spinning" she winced, retracting her spear letting the remnant help her. She looked across examining him nervously. "How did you do that?"</p><p>"I don't know" he told her, showing her the brand on his palm. She looked down and traced the marks with her fingertips, sensing the magic beneath it. "I don't know where I got it, but it's… I don't know." He looked at her as she stared at it closely, focusing on her wounds, worried about how hurt she was. She winced in pain clutching her side. "We need to get you to a hospital!"</p><p>"No!" she grimaced, wrapping an arm around him holding herself up. "No hospital. I'll be fine. We just need to get back to the Well."</p><p>The two of them looked around the carnage left from the Vanguard, smoking cars and debris obscuring them from any onlookers who could stop them as they slowly made their way down the road, stumbling into a side alley to find a quiet spot to open the soul bridge and leave the city of Derby to clean up the mess.</p><p>When they crossed the Soul-bridge both Marcus and Azrael were waiting for them. They were monitoring the incident in Derby, turning to see Jackson supporting an injured Freya as they crossed the observation deck. "What happened?" Marcus asked pushing himself over to examine them.</p><p>"That demon who crossed over to the mortal world happened" Jack immediately told them, carrying the angel over to the raised platform where she lowered herself down to sit still cradling her side. "He just showed up and just started shooting, took out an entire bridge. He was after Freya."</p><p>"I'm fine. Just a bit bruised" she said trying to sound reassuring, but her expression gave away how much pain she was in.</p><p>"I knew I should've gone after you myself" Azrael snapped, kneeling beside her to examine her wounds, casting a glare at Jack. "This is why remnants are meant to be supervised. And why you shouldn't be foolish enough to use your magic in the mortal world."</p><p>"We weren't to know the demon would track her down so soon" Marcus argued, but gave his ward a sombre look. "But he's right. You need to be more careful in the future."</p><p>Freya nodded her head apologetically. Jack suddenly turned on the man in the wheelchair. "You knew he was after us?"</p><p>"I knew it was a possibility" Marcus admitted. "Most demons can sense the astral energy of their heavenly counterparts. It's why Freya needs to be careful using her magic outside the Well of Souls. What I did not anticipate was that the demon was in the vicinity. That cannot be a coincidence."</p><p>"So all demons can sense angels?" Jack asked.</p><p>"All entities have their own astral signature. It's how we track them across the borders of creation from here. Realistically anyone can sense the supernatural, including remnants. Some are simply more attuned than others."</p><p>"Might explain my sudden spider sense" he muttered.</p><p>Marcus seemed to hear him, his eyes narrowing at the mortal boy. But when Jack looked away reluctant to explain further he turned the topic back to the situation at hand. "I'm sorry we couldn't be there to assist you" he apologised to the angel. "You were fortunate to have escaped."</p><p>"We didn't escape" she told him. "We stopped him. He's dead."</p><p>"You killed him?" Azrael looked surprised staring suspiciously at the girl. She shook her head, looking up at the sheepish mortal. His gaze narrowed further. "You? How?"</p><p>"You're guess is as good as mine" Jack replied, holding up his hand to reveal the brand on his palm.</p><p>Both Azrael and Marcus sprung up to stare at the mark, coming over to grab his wrist and examine it closely. Jack found their expressions very much the same as the Vanguard's when he saw the mark, wondering if having it was as safe as he initially thought. "How did you get this?" Marcus asked him.</p><p>He shrugged. He had no idea how he got the mark. "His comatose body had the same scar" Azrael told them. "So he was marked before he passed through to the afterlife.</p><p>"I've had this since I died?" Jack asked. He thought back to the day he died and the fight with the mugger. "The pendant!" he suddenly gasped, getting the attention of both men. "There was a pendant, a necklace around the neck of the guy who attacked me. I grabbed it just before I blacked out. It burned to the touch."</p><p>"How is that possible?" Azrael asked Marcus.</p><p>"It must've been a mortal replica" he speculated. "But I've never seen one succeed in harnessing the magic potential. Tell me exactly what happened." Jack quickly talked them through the fight, how he summoned fire and blasted a hole in the Vanguard. "So this brand gave you those abilities?" Marcus asked.</p><p>"I guess" he shrugged. "I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time. So far I can throw fire and punch giant spiders. And open doors." he added looking a Freya.</p><p>Her eyes widened. "That was you? That's how you got out my room?" He nodded, feeling kind of bad after hearing all the flak she'd been getting for his escape. Her face was a picture of confusion. "I sealed it with a harmonic seal. It's the strongest seal I could cast. Nothing could break it."</p><p>"This could" Marcus mused pointing to the brand. He looked up at the boy and asked him "Do you know what this symbol represents?"</p><p>"Not really" he answered until a thought came to him. "But the demon said something about Hellfire?</p><p>"A very potent and old form of magic" he nodded. "It was forged in the darkest pits of Hell by a very old, very dangerous coven known as the Black Priests. They are older than any known entity in the Dark Realms, considered to be even more powerful than any of the rulers of Hell. Very few beings have even seen the mark of Hellfire in action, its energy so volatile nobody outside of their order could contain it. In fact no demon has been able to bare the brand, let alone a mortal."</p><p>"So how did I get this?" Jack asked him pointing at his brand. "And how did the guy who killed me have it to begin with?"</p><p>"I doubt you were killed by a Black Priest" Azrael grumbled, crossing his arms in thought. "They are so old and powerful their own bodies can't hold corporeal form."</p><p>"Pendants like the one you describe have been known to exist" Marcus explained. "But this would be the first time one has existed containing the true power of Hellfire. It's disconcerting to discover a mortal had this level of power at their disposal." He paused to think it over, leaving Jack to shift uncomfortably feeling like he was carrying a nuke in his pocket. "It'll be worth investigating at a later date" he decided.</p><p>"Agreed" Azrael nodded. "Right now our main concern is the demon you fought. Did either of you learn anything at least?" he asked the two younger members of the group.</p><p>"I think he said he was a Vanguard?" Freya reported uncertainly. "I'm not sure, I was a little dazed."</p><p>Jack buried his instinctive chuckle. <em>You were unconscious</em> his brain wanted to blurt out. "That's what he said" he nodded confirming Freya's statement. "He also said he was serving someone called Marc? Marcosis?"</p><p>"Marchosias?" Azrael finished. "A Dark Lord, one of the rulers of the damned. Each has a world under their control and an army to defend it. Or to invade for war. Marchosias has thirty of those legions under his command, more than enough to overrun the mortal world. If he's planning an incursion…"</p><p>"Now would be an opportune moment" Marcus mused unsettled.</p><p>"Could he be behind what happened?" Freya asked, referring to the attack on Marcus.</p><p>"I think they were just making the most of the reaper being indisposed" Jack told them. "They sent the Vanguard first with the other demons to make sure Marcus was incapacitated, which we confirmed by screwing up their opening act."</p><p>The three of them all looked at the young boy in surprise. He glanced up seeing the perplexed and suspicious looks on their faces. "And how do you know that?" Azrael asked glaring at him.</p><p>Jack caught his breath, realising he'd missed a rather vital part in that last statement. "Oh, right. I think I read the demons mind with the brand while we were fighting."</p><p>"You read his mind?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"Don't ask me how, it just happened" he replied defensively. "He was standing over Freya, sword above her, I jumped on his back, grabbed his head and then…Whoosh. All these thoughts and memories flooded my mind, none of them my own. I saw everything the Vanguard was planning. The army, the mortal helping him, all of it."</p><p>"You really expect us to believe this rubbish?" Azrael growled but Marcus held out his hand. "It would be likely, given the nature of the Hellfire brand" he argued.</p><p>"You said a mortal was helping them?" Freya echoed, looking to her mentor. "I thought mortals weren't supposed to know we existed?"</p><p>"Mortals are well aware that we exist" Azrael replied gruffly. "They're just too arrogant or ignorant to pay attention. Most of the incursions to the mortal realm are down to foolish teenagers messing with dangerous rituals too drunk to understand what they're unleashing. As for the rare few who do, they can prove rather complicated."</p><p>"Humanity has a greater potential then any of them realise. With the right spells and artefacts any mortal can open a breach to the next world" Marcus said glumly. "Assuming these visions can be believed, we have to prepare for the likelihood Marchosias is leading an invasion of the mortal plane using a mortal to open the door. Jack, if there is anything more you can tell us about this person you need to tell us."</p><p>"I don't know what to say. I just saw him for a second and he just looked like..." His blood ran cold as the memory flashed through his mind, the face of the pale skinned one eyed boy glaring back at him with a cold expression covered in blood. He recognised the face, knew who it belonged to.</p><p><em>Oh no!</em> Jack whispered, all the strange behaviour and cold comebacks suddenly making sense. <em>I know who's bringing Hell to earth.</em></p>
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<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Chapter 35</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>32</p><p>The nurse turned the lights out after casting one last look around the room, quickly examining the patients asleep in their beds satisfied they were at peace. Closing the door the hospital ward was left in darkness filling the void with silence. One of the patients stirred in his bed mumbling to himself, lost in a nightmare while the rest snored quietly. One of the patients was cold and unmoving, the breathing tubs he was hooked up to hissing as it pumped oxygen into the comatose body. Jackson looked peaceful lying in his bed, a faintly lit screen monitoring low brain activity. The doctors believed he was as good as brain dead and didn't expect him to survive the week.</p><p>The figure cloaked in darkness stepped out of the shadows to examine the young man, his cold emotionless gaze staring down at him silently. Nobody saw him as he snuck inside the hospital ward in the last hour, avoiding the patrolling staff with his hood pulled up hiding his face. When security looked through the cameras the next morning they'll find the suspicious young man walking confidently through the halls but will be unable to identify the figure. If they could they'd have witnessed pale skin, a shaved head, a foggy white eye and deep red markings all over his face. The young man stood over the comatose body of Jackson White, the dark shadow over his face masking the cold expression hiding a deep rooted scowl. He felt nothing for the figure below him, thinking about how easy it could be simply to unhook the machines, stop his heart, choke the last of his air from his lungs and crush his skull.</p><p><em>So easy, </em>Zachery Helmsley thought, leaning over the sleeping figure glaring at him with his one good eye.</p><p>He thought about this moment a lot. Not this particular moment, but the emotion and sense of power behind it. He had all the control in this moment. He could decide the fate of this weak, worthless piece of meat before him. It had been a long road to get here, ever since his mother overdosed when he was just a child. He remembered finding her in the living room, her body cold and still with a dirty needle stuck in her arm. He was only seven. He didn't understand how he could've helped. He could've called an adult, an ambulance, done something. Instead he sat down on the sofa and waited for his father to come home. Waited to find his wife dead and his son watching TV. The police had questions but ruled it a tragedy, just another overdose. Zac should've been upset, but he wasn't. A part of him had already cut his mother out of his life.</p><p>His father offered no comfort. He was an angry man, working long hours to support a family while his wife lost herself in her drug habit. He was bitter and turned to drink, every night coming home to fight with her and take his frustrations out on their son. The beatings were brutal. So brutal that Zac tried to run away. The police didn't help him. They kept bringing him back to that house to live the nightmare all over again. He would cry in his room every night. Every day he would look to his mother for help, wondering why she didn't protect him. She didn't care about his welfare, focusing only on her next fix. After she died his dad got even more violent, getting it into his head it was Zac's fault his mother overdosed. His childhood was nothing but pain and torment.</p><p>School was the only escape he had, but he wouldn't let himself get close to anyone. The first time he did he made a friend, until that person made new friends. They didn't like him much and made fun of him, bullying him for years and laughing at him. The staff did nothing to stop it and his dad beat him for being such a pathetic weakling. So he learnt to keep his head down. All the while resentment built up inside him until all he felt was pain and hate. It was a miracle he passed his exams, a surprise when he got into university. Zac took the Graphic Design course because it was the easiest to get into. He didn't care for the subject, he just wanted to get out of his father's house and move away from the nightmare. He got a flat, moved in the first moment he could, tried to move on. But the scars were already in place, the hate scorched into his soul. Everyone around him looked at him like he was a freak. And he felt like one. He could sense their disgust, hear them laughing behind him back. Even those trying to be kind. Especially those trying to be kind.</p><p>Two people stood out to him, the girl and the boy. Jackson White and Kassie L'amahle. She acted so compassionate, calm and friendly. But he could see right through her. She was obviously born from money, wealthy enough to travel the world and pick her own schools, while he had to fight to survive out of desperation. To her he was nothing. Less than nothing. Something to pity and make herself feel better. He rejected her offers of kindness, telling her to go to Hell and join the rest of her two-faced kind. That brought in the boy. Jackson. The one he detested more than her. There was a moment when he first saw him, the look in his eyes from across the room. Zac believed Jack might understand his pain. But that day he showed his true face, chose his side. He defended Kassie. Standing against Zac looking down on him like everyone else. He turned his back on him after that, even as he continued to harass and interfere in his life sticking his nose where it didn't belong.</p><p>Zac pushed everyone away, leaving him all alone with his pain. Pain he realised he couldn't escape. He searched for escape, diving into books and research into all manner of things. He discovered the world of the occult, depraved rituals and magic that was believed to rid him of all that plagued him. He studied what he could from the local libraries, found a shop in the market with information he could use, but it became clear he was fooling himself. There was only one escape from this pain. The same way his mother went. So one night he locked himself in his bathroom, drunk and depressed, drowning himself in the most distasteful drink he could steal from the newsagents down the street before slipping into the bathtub cutting both his wrists. As he sat in his own blood, drowsy from the drink, he looked over at the open stained pages of the last book he opened carelessly reading the inscription of the spell transcribed within, falling back and waiting for the end to come.</p><p>"Who dares seek an audience with Marchosias?" a voice whispered in Zac's ear. He opened his eyes into the dull haze and saw a face staring down at him. A monster flickering between reality and his imagination. He tried to speak, shooing the hallucination away, but it asked again. "Who are you to summon me mortal?"</p><p>"It doesn't matter" he muttered rubbing his eye. He didn't realise it but his hand was covered in shattered glass, the bottle he was drinking broken to use the shards to slit his wrists. The pieces imbedded in his fingers dragged across his face, cutting through his eye half blinding him and turning his vision red. He felt no pain, numbed by the drink and blood loss.</p><p>"You carelessly enact the summoning ritual to call the aid of the damned" the voice challenged. "What is it you wish to bargain for? Wealth? Power? Success like any other mortal?"</p><p>Zac rose his head looking at the hallucination, blood pouring from his eye as he coldly replied, "I wish to see this world burn."</p><p>The voice paused a moment, watching the boy slump lower into the bathtub before whispering "I believe we can come to an arrangement."</p><p>It would be almost a whole day before Zac was discovered in his flat, sitting in a pool of his own blood, passed out and on the verge of death. The ambulance was called and Helmsley was rushed to hospital, treating his wounds and bringing him back to health. They were unable to repair the eye, leaving it cloudy and white. Several physiatrists came to talk to him about the consequences of suicide, trying to figure out the reasons around the boy's actions. He cooperated with them, passing their tests eager to be discharged. He assured them he had no intention of taking his own life again.</p><p>He had a higher purpose now.</p><p>The voice he had heard wasn't a hallucination. It was a voice that shared Zac's vision of bringing this mortal world to his knees. He was smart enough not to divulge this information to the doctors, keeping it all to himself until he was free to begin his new journey. He returned to his flat and retrieved the book that was open that night, opening the spine to find the pages he'd scrawled over in his delirium. The voice gave him instructions, talking long into the night while Zac did his best to write down notes to remind him later of his quest. He used what was at hand, the words etched in blood across the paper, hidden from the paramedics' moments before he passed out. Before he could begin however, he had business to finish.</p><p>With newfound confidence in his life Zac returned to the town he swore never to return to. He sought out the one man he promised himself he would never lay eyes on again. But he would have to face him in order to banish his stain from his life. The drunken figure of his father stumbled out of the pub he waited outside, fumbling for his keys as he stumbled to his car. Zac followed behind him, waiting until they were alone before announcing himself. "You were always a waste of breath" he said coldly, standing silently as he watched the drunk spin around to face him.</p><p>"Whothefu..?" the man slurred glaring at him. It took a moment for his eyes to focus and realise he was looking at his son. "You? What do you want?" he huffed angrily. "Haven't you taken enough from me?"</p><p>Zac bit his tongue, feeling the resentment and hate rising in his throat. "You were a disgrace father. What could you possibly have that I would want?"</p><p>"Bah! Does it matter?" the man scoffed jabbing his finger at his son. "You took everything else? You took my wife. You took my livelihood. I gave you everything and you turned your back on me! You pansy, weakling…"</p><p>Zac clenched his fists in rage, his good eye glaring at the arrogant old man. "What about what you took from me? What about everything you did to me? You ruined my life. You beat me every night and told me how worthless of a son I was. I did not kill your wife. She gave up on you and crawled to her death with those drugs. I nearly died recently and you don't even care."</p><p>The man took a step towards Zac, fixing his gaze on him. "You should've died. You should be rotting in Hell with that bitch of an addict-mother of yours."</p><p>He didn't waver as he stood his ground, holding the man's gaze for the first time in his whole life. He wasn't the terrified little boy he could push around any longer, his expression calm and collected. But his gaze was chilling, full of hate and cruelty. The drunk man stared into the dark void of his son's eye and felt an ice cold shiver run down his spine, sobering him up in an instant. Five minutes later a call would come into the local police of a homicide, the man found lying in the ground next to his car with his face smashed in. The medical examiner would determine the assailant beat him with his fists before slamming the car door into his skull until it cracked like an egg, leaving him for dead in the car park. They got an ID and attempted to find the son to inform him of the incident. But they never made contact with him and they didn't find the culprit.</p><p>He began his quest as soon as possible, scouring the internet and libraries for any and all information on the occult. He studied long and hard, leaving just enough time to pass the necessary requirements to stay on at university before he was expelled. The tutors tried to take an interest in him but he brushed them off, his primary focus the list of artefacts the demon had instructed him to collect. He had to enlist a few tech wizards to track down the location of the items in question, discovering they were scattered across the country. The most important was the old jagged knife that had fallen into the possession of a museum in Sheffield. He took a train down there to examine it behind the glass, confirming it was the correct blade. The plaque claimed it belonged to an historic settlement from 300 BCE, but he knew it was crafted as a sacrificial blade dedicated to the very demon he now served. That night he broke into the museum under the cover of darkness, smashing several display cabinets to mask the true target as he retrieved his prize. He was on his way out when another item caught his eye, a bronze metallic pendant sitting behind glass by the main staircase. Risking discovery to examine it Zac decided to steal that too, narrowly avoiding the security guard running into the room to find the place in shambles.</p><p>The next day Zac brought the pendant to a man in the market back in Derby, keeping vague about the circumstances surrounding how he got the object, asking for its significance. The man claimed it was just a trinket, nothing valuable about it. Even the museum website labelled the object a miscellaneous item bought as part of a bulk package. But Helmsley knew it was special, unique. He could sense magic in this object, the markings strange and unusual. He spent weeks researching the symbol and could only find a passing reference to something known as <em>Hellfire</em>. Nevertheless he kept it, wearing it around his neck at all times while he continued his quest.</p><p>The rest of the instructions proved trivial. Until the night he was awoken to the sound of the demon calling him. He followed the ritual in the book, offering his blood to make contact with the entity beyond. The voice he always knew to be real spoke to him, telling him that the time was now. After months of searching and waiting an opportunity had presented itself. One that they could not ignore. He listened and obeyed, following their directive in preparation to open a tear in the fabric of space and reality. But to do so would require staining the knife he'd stolen with the blood of a sacrifice.</p><p>Fortunately Zac Helmsley knew just the person to offer their life.</p><p>The pale skinned boy looked down at the comatose body of Jackson, recalling the last few days and how he'd successfully brought the Vanguard across, opening the portal using the sacrifice. He'd submitted to the demon's gruesome ritual, preparing his body for the next stage of his ascension. Tomorrow his master would rise and march forth across this mortal plane and burn humanity to the ground. Zac would take his place at his side and lay waste to everything that was responsible for his pain. He would destroy the world that had tormented him for years. He'd already killed his father. Now he wanted to kill humanity. The Vanguard had left him hours ago, saying he needed to take care of something. He didn't care if the demon failed to return, trusting he could finish the job on his own.</p><p>"You have no idea of the power I have now" Zac whispered to the sleeping young man, his fingers hovering over his throat contemplating crushing his windpipe. "It's be so easy. One moment and you would cease to exist. I could end your miserable life right here." He pulled away after a long drawn out minute, telling him coldly, "But I won't. I'll let you live just long enough to give you a chance to wake up and witness this world come to a blistering end. When you see the rise of my new master, then I will put you out of your misery."</p><p>He stepped away from the bed, adjusting the hood to cover his face, walking towards the door. He looked back over his shoulder, immortalising this moment in his memory to savour it. He was going to enjoy coming back and killing Jackson White a second time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Chapter 36</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Journal of Marcus Travis Blake, 6th June 2019</p><p>It's exactly as I had feared. A Lord of Hell is moving to invade the mortal plane, seizing the advantage while I'm out of commission. It's smart. I am the gatekeeper, the only one powerful enough to hold a demon lord at bay. And with the cosmic threads shifting into place it's the perfect time to make a move. Sometimes I hate understanding the mechanics of war.</p><p>Meanwhile I'm trapped here in this bloody wheelchair, praying for a miracle I know will never be answered. Trying to solve my own murder is the only thing keeping me calm right now. Sitting here in my study, looking up at the crime board by the window, following the threads of evidence and suspicion to the many suspects. Or rather lack of suspects. I have too many enemies across creation that would wish to destroy me. But none of them have the power necessary to do the deed of killing an immortal. This case is so frustrating.</p><p>While I'm here musing over my fate Azrael has been busy assessing the threat of Marchosias and his legions, tracking their progress across the cosmos. I've sent Freya to her room after getting her checked over. Her injures were superficial so a few hours rest would be all she needed. Jack wanted to make sure she was okay before he went for a walk around the fortress. It appeared deducing the identity of this mortal helping the Dark Lord shook him up. I know what it's like learning when someone you know is capable of such menacing evil. And after the battle with the vanguard and learning about the Hellfire brand on his wrist, I got the sense he needed time to process.</p><p>But the circumstances around his existence remained a mystery. The coincidence around all of this is suspicious. Freya is still adamant he was chosen by the Well. Azrael still thinks he could be a trap waiting to be sprung. I don't know what to believe. I feel like we are all stuck on a chessboard in some cosmic game. I just hope our next move doesn't damn every living thing in existence.</p><p>My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Jackson White, bursting into my room with a look of confusion and surprise. "Goddamn it!" he sighed in frustration poking his head back outside. "Why does this sentient maze keep leading me here?"</p><p>"Clearly the Well thinks we should spend some time together" I replied, turning my chair to address the boy. Maybe it is time the two of us had a conversation, I thought. It would make sense as I started coughing up blood for the third time that day. I didn't have much longer now, a few hours maybe. Long enough to see the mortal world end.</p><p>"You okay" Jack asked seeing the blood in my hand.</p><p>"I'll be fine" I lied. I already had to deal with Freya babying me. I didn't want to suffer Jackson's sympathies too. "The others insist I can hold on a little longer" I explained. "Particularly Freya. She tries to be strong, but I can tell she's afraid to let me go. She needs someone to look up to. she doesn't yet have the confidence to stand on her own against the threats out there. That's my fault. I should've encouraged her more in her training instead of hiding her away from danger."</p><p>"Is that why she's desperate for me to be your replacement?" he asked me. He'd crossed his arms and leant against the bed post. It surprised me considering we're still merely strangers, yet the boy seemed comfortable around me. Maybe he'd come to believe he could trust me like he has come to trust Freya. I must admit, it was nice having a fresh face to talk too after all these years.</p><p>"Freya always likes to look for the best in people. I tried to teach her nobody is incapable of being totally good. Everyone has the potential to commit evil. I guess I like to see the worst in everyone. I admired how stubborn that girl could be in that regard, reminding me there are still good people out there. She sees something in you Jackson" I said looking up at the boy. "She wouldn't be so invested in you otherwise. But deep down she's simply looking for a way to fix everything, figuring if she can't save my life she might be able to make sure the world is protected."</p><p>There was a pause as the two of us looked at each other, as if there was an unspoken conversation hanging above us. Jack had an expression saying he wanted to speak, but decided against it. I wondered if Jack was somehow aware of Freya's trip to the soul trader and the events that followed. The very thing that offered a plausible explanation to Freya's actions. She didn't know I knew. If she has decided to confide in Jack then I must respect that. So I said nothing.</p><p>"Can I ask" Jack finally said cautiously, "What happened?"</p><p>I couldn't help but smile as I explained "I was investigating a string of strange occurrences, following a lead I've come to believe was a trap. No sooner had I arrived at the abandoned building I was ambushed. Someone managed to run me through with a weapon powerful enough to kill a reaper. I got sloppy" I finished, angry at myself.</p><p>Jack looked dubious as he looked back at me. "You say that as if you're the most powerful being in all of existence."</p><p>"Clearly not" I huffed, pulling out a cigarette packet. Freya had insisted I stop smoking to avoid making the infection spreading through my body worse. I ignored her and smoked behind her back. I was dying so a few smokes weren't going to change anything. "Once upon a time I would've answered by stating I was the champion of the greatest force in all of creation, and thus no one in the multiverse could stand against me. Now… Now I realise there's still much to learn, just like my predecessor told me." I looked up at the remnant, lighting my cigarette, giving him the most serious glare I could manage. "Consider this boy. If you were to take my place, there's much you should fear in this multiverse. But nothing should terrify you more than not knowing who or what is out there capable of killing you just as easily as it killed me."</p><p>Jack looked over at the board. I could tell he was struggling to comprehend the whole situation, just like any mortal in his position would. Just like I did when my mentor explained it to me. But Jackson surprised me when he turned back, his expression one more of curious wonder than fear. I was scared after learning I was chosen to become the next grim reaper. It took me months to feel like I was ready, and still I was terrified the day to took up the scythe. But in this boy I saw something not unlike excitement. Like he had found something worth discovering. "So what exactly is the Reaper?" he asked, sitting down on the bed like a student eager to learn more. "Freya mentioned it's more than just playing the gatekeeper for the afterlife."</p><p>I thought about the way my mentor answered that exact question, finding the words to explain it exactly like he did. "So much more" I told him. "Back when the multiverse was first born there were three realms. Each watched over by three celestial beings."</p><p>"Three?" Jack interrupted.</p><p>I chuckled. "You mortals thought there was only one god responsible for creating everything? There are three cosmic forces out there. The entity we've come to call the Well serves as one of them. The other two monitor the two opposing forces of creation, the light and the dark. The mortal realms were born in the space between both these forces, between heaven and hell. As life grew in these regions war inevitably broke out. The forces of light and legions of darkness colliding in a battle that nearly laid waste to the mortals caught in the middle. In order to preserve the innocents within the Well created a champion of her power, a being with the capabilities to cross between the realms at will with enough strength to stand against both armies. This champion was the first Phasewalker, and they brought the realms to a begrudging resolution. The war was brought to an end and the mortals were allowed to thrive alongside the angels and demons. The Phasewalker became the guardian, keeping the barriers between realms protected, later becoming what you know as the Grim Reaper. Reapers are immortal and until now were unbeatable."</p><p>Jack nodded as I told the story, taking in all the information. "So how did you become the reaper?" he asked.</p><p>"I was chosen by my predecessor. I'd been killed in a gun-fight on the job decades ago. He had been looking for a candidate to replace him so he could retire. See, reapers are immortal but the mortals who bear the title don't always want to live forever. They chose those who they believe should replace them and then pass on the title, peacefully drifting back into the well to enjoy their death. When I was recruited I was told I had unique insights that could help me find entities no one else could see. I trained with him for months before he finally passed on. It was tough but I found my way. I've been serving the Well ever since." I took a long inhale of smoke before addressing the boy. "how about you? Was your death peaceful?"</p><p>"Hell no" Jack laughed. "I was killed in an alley by a mugger. Wrong place wrong time. And it was painful. To be honest I'm not sure if I'd call it a bad thing. But I was definitely not chosen for this. You didn't chose me."</p><p>"I'm in no position to choose anyone" I agreed. "But the Well is. She hasn't chosen a champion in eons, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't if she needed to."</p><p>"Yeah, but me? I'm not cut out for this. I'm an art student for Christ sake. I nearly got myself killed twice since I got here. And from what I gather, remnants are a bad thing in the afterlife." I had to concur with that. Reapers have always been souls of the deceased. It makes it easier to cut ties with the living. Why would the next one be living? "What about Freya? She's your protégé. You've trained her for years. Wouldn't it make sense to appoint her as your replacement?"</p><p>"The thought had occurred to me, but no" I told him. "It doesn't work like that. The champion of the Well has always been a mortal. A human to balance the power of creation."</p><p>"But why? Either of the angels or demons could handle it."</p><p>"No they couldn't" I explained. "Do you know why both heaven and hell have taken such an interest in the mortal realms? It's not because earth is no man's land in their endless war. Many would believe themselves superior to us. Us weak and fragile humans. But the truth is we are far more dangerous than either of them." Jack raised an eyebrow, confused but intrigued. I too had doubts at the time, but I saw the logic soon enough. "Mortals were born in the middle of two clashing forces, grown out of the energies of both heaven and hell together. The concept of good and evil goes deeper than you think, referring to the potential every human soul has at their fingertips. Why do you think we are so adept at harnessing magic and other forces, able to open portals and summon monsters that defy explanation? All those myths and legends you were told as a child; how many to you think actually happened? The human race was born from both the light and the dark, with the capacity to control both sides of the coin if they wanted to. But mankind isn't ready to step into that role and stand beside both angels and demon as gods. So the existence of creation was suppressed and lost. Yet the potential is there, infused into the earth and the universe, into our DNA."</p><p>"So whoever conquers the earth…?" Jack finished, his eyes widening in understanding. "If Marchosias succeeds in invading our world…"</p><p>"He'll be wiping out potentially the greatest threat to the balance of power and securing a potent weapon for his armies all in one day. The war would ignite with the scales tilted in favour of darkness. Do you understand now?" I asked the boy. "Freya cannot take my place because it's the destiny of a mortal to become the grim reaper. And without one, I fear we cannot keep the wolves at bay any longer."</p><p>The two of the fell into silence, the weight of the true reality falling on both their shoulders. "I guess it's a good thing I'm not the reaper then" Jack joked trying to break the tension. It failed.</p><p>"Our best chance is to find the breach site and the mortal who plans to open it" Marcus tells him. "If we prevent the armies from crossing over, we can stop Armageddon in its tracks. Is there anything you can tell me about this mortal?"</p><p>"Just that Zac was always an angry guy. It makes sense that he'd probably want to bring hell to earth. But I can't believe he'd actually go through with it."</p><p>"Any idea where we might be able to find him?" Jack shook his head. "You must think Jack! If he opens the portal it'll be up to us to hold Marchosias army at bay and seal it. Freya and Azrael will need every advantage."</p><p>"You're saying I will need to stand beside them like a soldier?" Jack asked. My expression confirmed his fears. "But I'm not a fighter or a superhero. I'm an art student with a glowing hand. I don't think I can do this."</p><p>I put my hand on Jackson's shoulder, my gaze locking onto his full of sympathy and assurance. "None of us are sure. Not until we reach that moment and take a stand" I told him, echoing the final lesson of my mentor all those years ago.</p><p>
  <em>None of us are ever ready until we step up.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Chapter 37</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>33</p><p>It had been a long night and Manning was drugged up on caffeine, keeping him awake to scrub through the footage he'd been emailed yesterday. It was a grainy back and white image with approximately 22 hours of video with no audio. Hawkins arrived into work bright and early after returning home to get a full 8 hours of sleep, a rare occurrence for him since he made detective. He strolled into the police station shrugging off his coat and hanging it on a nearby clothes peg before looking up to find his sergeant nodding off in front of his computer screen. He was surprised to say the least. Most officers on the fast track usually settled for doing the bare minimum of actual police work and sat behind their desks, which got them to name desk-jockeys. But Manning has proven his dedication to this case and willingness to get his hands dirty. <em>Maybe he is worthy of being a detective</em> the older man considered.</p><p>That wishful thinking evaporated when he saw what he was scrubbing through. Then he realised it was of more an obsession with a single line of enquiry. The video was taken across the street from the apartment block where Kassie L'amahle lived. "Captivating stuff" he said abruptly after watching for a few minutes behind the man in a suit.</p><p>Manning shot up in his seat spilling his drink, looking back over his shoulder at the grey haired man in shock. "Sir, I didn't hear you come in. What are you doing here at…?" He looked at his watch, realising he'd been here all night, and groaned.</p><p>"Never apologise for working overtime sergeant" Hawkins chuckled, leaning down over his shoulder to scroll through the footage to the timestamp matching the girl's statement. "When did this come in?"</p><p>"Late last night" he replied rubbing his eyes. "The super at the building finally sent us a copy of their security feed. I spent all night going through it to check the girl's alibi. I know witnesses said she arrived at the time she claimed but I wanted to see if she could've turned around and left. All the fire exits were alarmed and I've checked the cameras overlooking them."</p><p>"You just can't let this go can you?" the DI asked the younger officer. He saw the bristle in his shoulder, preparing for a lecture about wasting his time, but Hawkins instead told him, "If your gut is telling you to check this out then that could mean it's a good thing. A policeman's instinct is a detective's greatest asset." The two men shared a glance of quiet acknowledged. They'd been working this case for days now and finally starting to fall into step with one another<em>. It was refreshing having a partner again</em> Hawkins thought. His last one had been promoted months ago and he's yet to be assigned a permanent one. <em>Maybe Manning could fail his next test and get stuck with him.</em></p><p>"Well, my gut may be off on this one" Manning said with a sigh, scrolling forward to the time Kassie claimed to have seen their victim last. The image played as the two figures walked into view and paused by the entrance. "Here they are at five thirty, then she goes in after a minute and doesn't come back out again until tomorrow morning. They don't even share a goodnight kiss."</p><p>"So her alibi holds" Hawkins nodded watching the video play, watching as the blonde girl indeed walks into her building leaving Jackson standing by himself watching her leave. He noted how he stood in the street staring after her. The image was too grainy to see his expression but he could swear there was a look of disappointment on his face before he turned away. <em>Maybe there were feelings there</em>. He turned back to his sergeant patting his shoulder. "Good work anyway sergeant" he said comfortingly. "Better to make sure then take their word for it."</p><p>He seemed unconvinced watching their victim walk out of frame. "So it wasn't the girl."</p><p>"What about the Graphic Designer? Zachery Helmsley? He had an altercation with the victim a few hours before the attack."</p><p>"Uniforms went around to his place of residence yesterday, but no one answered." He paused and spun around to face the inspector. "Actually they failed to report in last night. They were going to interview the neighbours but didn't check back. Could be nothing, but perhaps she should go and investigate ourselves?"</p><p>Hawkins had stopped listening to the man however, his attention on the footage as it continued to play on the computer screen. Something had caught his eye and he leaned forward to get a closer look. "Who's that?" he asked Manning.</p><p>The sergeant turned back to see a dark hooded figure standing in the spot where Jackson had been seconds earlier, his head shifting left and right. The young officer narrowed his eyes muttering "Where did he come from?" scrolling back through the footage to follow the figure to where he materialised on screen. To their surprise he didn't arrive from the street, or the entrance to the apartment block, but from an obscured alcove nestled between the brick wall and the entrance. The hiding place would have hidden him from view of both the camera and anybody coming in and out of the apartments. "Dark hoodie" Manning said quietly watching the figure come out of hiding, pause at the entrance and then leave in the same direction as their victim.</p><p>Hawkins stared at the video and then stood up to tap his chin. "In the witness statements from the street, the neighbouring vendors reported seeing a man in a dark tracksuit fleeing the scene holding a knife. What if this is the same man? That would mean it wasn't a random mugging."</p><p>"He follows Jackson to the alley, attacks him and then leaves him for dead" Manning theorised. Then his expression changed and he quickly searched through the paperwork scattered on his desk. "Sir!" he said finding the written statement from the receptionist. "Zac Helmsley was wearing a tracksuit and a hoodie when he fought with Jackson White that day."</p><p>Hawkins looked at the statement and then back at the video. "But why would he wait outside Kassie's residence if he wanted to attack Jackson? He lives out of town. Wouldn't it make more sense to ambush him at the bus station?"</p><p>"Privacy?" Manning suggested. "Jack walked Kassie home regularly. If Zac was aware of that, which I suspect wasn't a closed secret, then it'd be quieter than a busy bus station."</p><p>"But there's no guarantee that Jackson would walk Kassie home that afternoon. When my wife and I were dating I'd often walk her to her place, but not all the time. It's a hell of a risk. And why not jump him when he's alone? Why wait until he leaves and chase after him? There's so much that could go wrong."</p><p>"We're not dealing with a master criminal here" Manning argued. "He was angry with Jackson, we don't know why, and he has a history of aggression. I ran the background and he as multiple accusations of violence and assault. Nothing warranting a police presence but nobody wanted to report him."</p><p>Hawkins nodded, telling his sergeant to "Get a unit over to his place and bring him in for questioning." The sergeant nodded and picked up the phone to make the call. The older officer still felt like he was missing something, rewinding the footage to play the scene as a whole. <em>Kassie and Jackson arrive, talk a moment, say goodnight. Kassie heads inside, leaving Jackson alone for a minute or two, before he also turns and leaves. The hooded figure steps out seconds later, staring after him and looking around…</em> Hawkins paused the footage and leaned closer at the grainy footage. "Manning, look at this" he called back. His sergeant appeared by his side following his gaze as he explained, "See how he turns back to the apartment before he follows Jackson across the street?"</p><p>Manning examined the figure as the video showed him stepping out of hiding, his head turning back to the entrance before spinning back in their victim's direction. "He's making sure no one inside sees him follow?"</p><p>"But look" Hawkins insisted playing it again. "His body language, the way he keeps looking at the door, even as he turns to follow him." He closed his eyes and found the dots connecting on their own. "Why would Zachery lay in wait outside the apartment building if he intended to commit murder?" he asked aloud. He spoke again before his sergeant could answer him. "What if we've been looking at this all wrong?"</p><p>"Sir, you're not making any sense" Manning said next to him.</p><p>Hawkins had a theory running in his mind, one that aligned with everything he was seeing on the footage. The way the figure was looking at the apartment indicated he had intended to enter it. But the door was locked with a keypad. He could've snuck in behind Kassie and forced his way in. Except he couldn't because Jackson was watching her enter. "<em>He always wanted to be there to keep me safe" Kassie had said during her first interview.</em> "Sergeant, call in some back up and have them meet me at the university" Hawkins suddenly ordered, leaping from the desk and grabbing his coat. "And get uniform over to Kassie L'amahle apartment! We need to find Zachery Helmsley!"</p><p>"What's going on inspector?" Manning asked running after his partner.</p><p>"We've been assuming Jackson White was the intended target. But I think he was just collateral damage" he called over his shoulder, intending to explain in the car as they ran out of the station.</p><p>Today was the day. All those months of sleepless nights and working hard were all leading to this. Today was the day students of all disciplines had to submit their work for review and grading, the final deadline for the year. The campus was bustling with activity. People of dozens of backgrounds, beliefs and ideas, artists and photographers and historians and designers. They talked, laughed and commemorated the day together. Amidst the crowds a small group of illustration students arrived through the glass doors to join them.</p><p>"At last, the nightmare is over" Ajay said dramatically. "End of the line. Does everyone have their assignments?"</p><p>"I'm still not happy with mine" Kassie sighed adjusting her bag where she held all her work, her other hand carrying a cardboard tube for the bigger stuff.</p><p>"You never are, are you" Ajay sighed carrying a large briefcase portfolio. The others had similar containers of their stuff. Not for the first time Ajay envied Jackson's choice of discipline. They produced mountains of paperwork for their briefs, whereas all he needed to bring in was a sketchbook and a memory stick. Unsurprisingly, the prospect of mot seeing their friend join them today to celebrate gnawed at the group in some way. Danielle was considerably troubled, recalling the conversation she overheard from the doctors on her visit. She hadn't said anything to anyone, keeping the grim news to herself. Kassie seemed to be coping better now she was with her friends. Kadin and Daniel didn't discuss it and Ajay distracted them all with his jokes.</p><p>"Come on, let's get this done" Kadin said leading the five of them upstairs. "The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can hit the town."</p><p>"Here here!" Ajay shouted making the others laugh.</p><p>As they made their way through the crowds and up the stairs, a silent figure sat alone in the middle of the canteen watching them go about their day. The dark hood was up covering his shaved head and his scarred face, the red markings scabbed over leaving the distinct pattern carved into his skin. His cloudy eye matched his pale skin as he looked up at the laughing group of illustrators, his heartbeat throbbing in his ears as he waited patiently for the right moment. He had already barred all the fire exits leading out of the building, so there was no escape for anyone when the invasion began.</p>
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<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Chapter 38</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>34</p><p>The police car sped down the street at max speed, the sirens blaring, weaving in and out of traffic. The car was unmarked but the blue lights on the front indicated its status as an official police vehicle. Inside Hawkins sat behind the wheel, his focus on the road leading the police cruisers through the city. Beside him Manning spoke into his mobile hurriedly, fully alert after hearing his partners revelation. "Sir!" Manning said hanging up the phone to turn to the inspector. "Uniform found the officers I sent yesterday. They were murdered, along with all of the neighbours. CSU is at the scene now. No sign of the suspect."</p><p>Hawkins turned pale, releasing a shaky breath. "Get out an APB. We need to find Zachery Helmsley."</p><p>There was a sudden thundering BOOM, jolting the two figures to turn their heads up and listen to the echoing alarm. "What the hell is that?" Jackson asked rising to his feet, feeling the air in the fortress drop as another BOOM bounced through the hallways.</p><p>Marcus's expression turned grim, his eyes narrowed. "Trouble."</p><p>In the mortal world the university buzzed with activity, the crowds on the ground floor thinning as everyone made their way to their respective floors to hand in their projects. The canteen was almost empty now, the pale skinned young man rising from his seat watching the mindless sheep follow each other. His good eye scanned the area calmly, a tiny smile of anticipation tugging at the corner of his mouth as he walked casually towards the reception, his head lifting to the first floor where he could see a pair of double doors above him.</p><p>Behind those doors the studios and computer stations spread out across the hallway, filled with ques and crowds as they were directed into the walled classrooms where staff and tutors waited to receive their student's submissions. The crowds were split into two groups. One line consisted of Graphic designers while the other combined the smaller Illustration and Animation groups to save time and space. Kassie approached the table and filled in the forms while her tutor congratulated her for meeting the deadline. As she signed her name on the receipt she looked over at the registration list of names sitting in front of the animation tutor next to her. Her grey eyes found Jack's name and she suddenly felt guilty. "Um, what happens if someone can't make the deadline?" she nervously asked the man behind the table.</p><p>The man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "There's a secondary window they can apply for" he assured her. "If their circumstances warrant the extended period." She nodded, still standing hesitantly before them. The tutor followed her gaze to his sheet of paper and found Jackson's name, the only signature on the paper he was missing. His expression fell to sympathy as he looked back at her. "I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement when he recovers" he said quietly to her.</p><p>Kassie nodded, thanking him as she was ushered out of the class room to join her friends. She felt slightly better now that the stress of the deadline was behind her. But the uncertainty about Jack's fate still weighed on her. Dani, Kadin, Daniel and Ajay were there to try and cheer her up, distracting her and themselves from their friend's situation, hoping he was going to be alright.</p><p>Jackson was kind enough to push Marcus through the corridors towards the observation deck, but only because he wasn't willing to wait for the old man to catch up. They sprinted into the large chamber to find Azrael standing at the balcony examining the holographic imagery and graphs as the Well continued to BOOM its alarm. "What's the situation?" Marcus called out pushing himself up the steps to join the Angel of Death.</p><p>"An incursion level event" Azrael reported, falling into the professional habit of working with his old partner. "I finally found Marchosias. His legions are marching on Limbo, converging in one spot."</p><p>"Do we know where?" Marcus asked him, leaving Jackson standing behind them with no idea what he was supposed to do. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Freya coming from one of the corridors, dressed in her leather armour and gear, her grey cloak covering her shoulders falling down to her elbows. Her blue eyes found the three of them and jogged up to meet Jack as he fell back to greet her. "Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked her.</p><p>"Much better, thanks for asking" she smiled, showing him her wounds had healed over leaving faint scars on her skin that would disappear overnight. Benefits of being an angel and living in a fortress with a cleansing waterfall that held healing properties. She reached out and examined the four scratch marks running down Jack's right cheek, the wound in his chest still prominent underneath his red hoodie. "How are you doing?" she asked him.</p><p>"I'll live" he replied immediately, realizing his choice of words seemed rather odd in the afterlife. "Or un-live? I'm still standing." His effort at a joke made Freya laugh before they heard both Marcus and Azrael calling them over. They ran up to stand beside the Angel and the Reaper as they monitored the situation, recognising how dire the situation was growing.</p><p>Zac knew the time was now. His master was waiting. The knife sat comfortably in his hand, hidden in his pocket, waiting for a sacrifice to open the gateway into the next world. He had the perfect sacrifice in mind. And this time he wouldn't let a small thing such as witnesses stop him. He missed his opportunity once. This time he wouldn't hesitate.</p><p>He was halfway to the stairs when he saw the police cars arrive outside the university, seeing them through through the glass doors. The building had two entrances he couldn't block, a front entrance leading to the path looking over a pond where the reception sat, and the back entrance leading to a car park. The police pulled up in the car park and he saw several officers exit their vehicles and sprint into the building. He quickly changed course and hid his face, standing behind a doorway in a corridor on the ground floor watching the two detectives as they made their way towards him.</p><p>Hawkins and Manning failed to see the pale young man in the dark hoodie, their attention on finding the second person they're looking for as they approached the reception. Hawkins quickly talked to the receptionist and a neighbouring student rep asking questions, getting directions to the first floor hallway within seconds. "Stay down here and keep your eyes open. And get more back up" he told his sergeant as he lead a pair of uniforms towards the nearest set of stairs. Manning nodded wordlessly getting back on his phone, ordering the rest of the uniforms to search the ground floor while he calls in for more units.</p><p>Upstairs Hawkins followed the directions given to him, finding the studios and classrooms where the Illustration students were gathered. The groups were scattered, most of the students leaving for the canteen after submitting their work, so he only had to scan the spaces to find the blonde girl he was after. "Kassie L'amahle!" he called out, grabbing the young woman's attention as he ran over to join her little group. All the kids he'd talked to a few days ago were with her, looking back at him with surprise and concern.</p><p>"What's going on?" Daniel asked when he saw the two uniformed officers behind the inspector.</p><p>Hawkins didn't acknowledge the bearded man, addressing Kassie directly as he explained "I need you to come with us Miss L'amahle. We have reason to believe your life might be in danger."</p><p>He watched as Kassie's face paled in fear while the others all cried out in shock, asking questions he wasn't at liberty to answer at this time. Right now his main objective was to get her and maybe her friends out of the university and somewhere safe until they found Helmsley.</p><p>"What do we know about this incursion?" Marcus asked staring up at the monitors.</p><p>"So far the breach is localised to a single location" Azrael explained. "It appears to be a level 4 classification."</p><p>"What does that mean" Jack asked, slightly irritated that levels and rating actually existed like he was in the world of Dungeons &amp; Dragons. <em>It's a monster, or a portal. It doesn't need to have a threat level if it can kill me regardless.</em></p><p>"Level 4 needs a blood sacrifice to be opened" Freya explained, recalling her lessons with Marcus and Azrael. "It's the most efficient way to open a breach big enough to allow an invasion force to cross over into the mortal world."</p><p>"How my levels are there?" Jack found himself asking, quietly and immediately regretting it if he got an answer. Fortunately the others were too focused on the telepathic monitors to hear him.</p><p>"Which side of the barrier was the sacrifice performed?" Marcus asked Azrael, already suspecting the answer.</p><p>Zac had to control his frustration before he lost his temper. His intentions were thwarted again, this time by the police detectives hovering about the university with their uniformed officers. He couldn't wait any longer. Marchosias was waiting. Zac had chosen the location for the gateway and the Vanguard had talked him through the necessary spells. He had to act now. He needed a sacrifice. If he couldn't take the life he wanted he'd have to settle for another, just as he had before.</p><p>Stepping out of the corridor he walked out into the main lobby, his gaze on the ground carefully counting his steps to the exact spot he needed to cast the spell. Behind him the detective sergeant was busy shouting into his mobile when he looked up to see the hooded figure several feet away. He put down the phone and approached cautiously, the uniformed officers preoccupied escorting confused and weary students out of the building. He quickly sent his partner a text telling him to get back downstairs just in case. He memorised the description of the suspect they were looking for and called out to the figure. "Excuse me! Police!" Manning called out just as Zac found the spot, examining the floor imagining the door that would soon occupy it. He reached up and removed his hood revealing his bald head and the red markings cut into his skull and face. He could feel everyone's gaze fall onto him as he revealed himself, as well as the tension in the detective's voice as he repeated "Police. Hands on your head. Very slowly!"</p><p>The young man didn't respond to instruction right away, standing still with his back to the sergeant as Manning cautiously walked towards him. His hands were by his sides and he couldn't see a weapon. The pale skin and markings gave him the creeps but he pushed his nerves aside and quickly closed the gap, intending to cuff the boy as fast as possible before he could get away. <em>My first arrest</em> he thought reciting the boys rights as he was instructed. "Zac Helmsley, the have the right to remain…"</p><p>The boy spun around faster than Manning could've predicted, twirling his body around to do the opposite of what Manning had expected him to do. He thought the boy would try to run. But instead he had a blade in his right hand stabbing him in his gut. The sergeant froze in shock as the blade pierced his abdomen, staring at the boy in disbelief before sinking to his knees clutching his stomach. The knife was covered in blood when Zac pulled it out, looking down at the man without a hint of emotion. Before he could cry out for help Zac had grabbed Manning by the top of his head, clutching a fistful of hair in his left hand, before slitting his throat with his knife.</p><p>Zac allowed himself a brief feeling of pleasure as he watched the man's blood pour out of his neck onto the clean polished floor, painting the ground crimson red. He stayed out of its path until the man stopped gurgling and choking before tossing the lifeless corpse aside, crouching over the floor. Dipping his fingers into the pool of blood he painted the runes and symbols exactly as the Vanguard had taught him, chanting the spells he'd rehearsed.</p><p>Hawkins heard the screams after reading the text from his sergeant, ordering the uniforms to stay with Miss L'amahle and her friends and keep them safe. They called out to the inspector as he raced off, ignoring their questions in order to investigate the alarm. He looked over the banister to the ground level and saw the suspect below him drawing on the floor, painting in the blood of his sergeant. "Manning?" he shouted racing to the nearby stairwell, leaping two at a time and bursting through the doors. He paused as he approached the hooded figure crouched on the ground, wishing he could carry a gun at this moment. He looked across to his partner but couldn't see any movement or sign of life. "Zachery Helmsley?" he called to the boy. "What have you done?"</p><p>"You're too late detective" Zac told him, finishing his markings and placing the sacrificial knife in the centre. Turning his red palms up, kneeling down in the pool of crimson, he called across the veil of reality, "Come to me oh lord and master. I offer this sacrifice in your name. Step forth."</p><p>The air shimmered before Hawking's very eyes as the blood boiled, a hot breeze cutting through the building as the lights flickered and exploded over their heads. Upstairs the uniform guarding Kassie and her friends looked around with caution while the young students recoiled in fear. Throughout the building staff and students felt a chill run down their spines as reality became fragile, cracking under the strain of an unseen force until the air crackled and ripped apart? Zac closed his eyes and bathed in the hot red light of a sun that wasn't their own as the portal opened before him, a thousand screams escaping into the mortal plane deafening those too close to hear them.</p><p><em>It is done</em>.</p><p>In the Well of Souls, Azrael was working to pinpoint the exact coordinates of the breach when Jack suddenly had a disturbing brainwave. "What day is it?" he asked out of the blue. "In the mortal world? What's the date?"</p><p>"The 6th of June" Marcus answered without looking over his shoulder.</p><p>"Jack?" Freya asked concerned as Jackson's expression went pale and sick. He looked up at the holographic maps Azrael was calling up and recognised the landmasses and locations. It wasn't a coincidence the Vanguard found them in Derby. Zac was the one bringing the Dark Lord to Earth and opening the door. Zac had an unhealthy hatred for life and everyone he met. He went to his university and lived in Derby. More importantly, today was their final deadline. Everyone across all disciplines in one place at one time. If Zac wanted revenge against the people he thought had wronged them, this would be the place to do it.</p><p>
  <em>Kassie will be there. Dani, Ajay, Kadin, Daniel, they all will.</em>
</p><p>"I know where he is" Jack told them, given them the location seconds before Azrael found it. He wasn't wrong and it made him feel sick.</p><p>As Zac sat with his head bowed the dark shadow fell over him, a large shape blotting out the red sun as something approached from beyond the veil. A giant paw reached through the gateway and stepped onto the polished blood stained floor, cracking beneath its weight as the massive furry creature ducked through the growing portal and crossed into the mortal plane. Hawkins stared up as a giant she-wolf rose to its full height, it's blazing red eyes looking down at the terrified mortals frozen in fear and disbelief as massive griffin wings stretched out of its back to fill the tall hallway and brush against the glass windows. A long thick serpent's tail whipped behind the creature in the threshold of the portal, dragging along the ground as the monster walked forward to stand amidst the humans cowering below him. Its teeth bared as large nostrils flared, inhaling the stench of mankind for the first time in centuries.</p><p>"Welcome Marchosias" Zachery Helmsley announced looking up at his master, his cloudy eye gleaming with pride. "Welcome to your new domain."</p>
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<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Chapter 39</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>35</p><p>As always, the Well of Souls provided its inhabitants with what they needed. As the three of them sprinted out of the observation deck towards the cavern that would lead to the Soul-Bridge, a new room sprung up to greet them; the armoury. Thousands of weapons and armour from across the realms stacked up on racks, lining the walls and scattered across the room collected over the centuries. The collection was amassed by Azrael over the eons, as well as confiscated by previous reapers throughout their lifetimes, making this the single biggest arsenal in all of creation. Swords, battle axes, shields, gauntlets, even mortal weaponry such as knifes, guns and cannons occupied these walls. A tool for every occasion.</p><p>Azrael searched through the angelic weapons as he stocked his gear, picking out pieces of armour to strap into place taking into account enchantments and their enemies. Marchosias was known for having the greatest military presence in Hell. Thirty legions of soldiers from across the Dark Realms, experts in killing and war. He had dispatched messengers to his wraiths to meet him on the battlefield, trusting them to be ready for a long and gruelling fight. His prized sword rested on his hip but he also picked out a sharp battle-axe that could cleave demons in two as a backup.</p><p>Across the room Freya opened a box specifically tailed to her, containing custom designed tools and weapons crafted for one of her stature and strength. She checked over her light-weight outfit, tightening the straps on her bracers and boots, examining the retractable spear she kept hooked to her belt at the base of her spine. Reaching into the box she brought out two silver hilts that would slot into their holsters beside the spear, closing the box once they were in place. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Marcus asked the young angel, wheeling himself through the chamber. His tone sounded strict but Freya could see the concern in his gaze.</p><p>"I have to be" she replied curtly. "Azrael can't take on all of those demons by himself. Someone needs to close the portal while he's holding the army at bay."</p><p>The Angel of Death had detailed the plan moments earlier, falling into the strategy like he had done it a thousand times before. "My contingent of Wraiths can hold back the forces for a short while" he explained. "Long enough for someone to get to the breach and seal it behind us. Since the mortal was the one to tear the fabric of reality we'll need to cross to the other side in order to close it. Marchosias likes to lead his armies into battle. So if we get there, but can't see him, we must assume he's already crossed over. If we can cut off his reinforcements we can find a way to contain the Dark Lord and maybe eject him back into limbo with the soul-bridge. But priority has to be close the breach."</p><p>Marcus thought the plan was sound and straight forward. Exactly the type of strategy he would've suggested. What concerned him was it wouldn't be the Grim Reaper charging into battle to take on these forces. Neither Azrael nor Freya, despite their potential, were powerful enough to stand against such a foe for long. "I should be coming with you" he said glumly.</p><p>"In your condition you can barely stand" Azrael told him. "You'd just slow us down."</p><p>Marcus knew better than to take his friends words too harshly. The infection was spreading. He had maybe hours, maybe less. It pained him that he would die stuck in a wheelchair rather than out there protecting the borders one last time. Fighting another inconvenient coughing fit he turned to his ward, the girl he was sending in his place on this most important and dangerous task. "The breach is a level 4 incursion, created by blood sacrifice. How are you going to respond to such an event?" he asked her.</p><p>"A level 4 breach begins by dissolving the barriers between the mortal realm and limbo" Freya answered while checking her gear over. "Once the portal is open it will expand slowly over time until it is large enough to allow a hundred soldiers to cross at a time. The size of the portal will grow to encompass nearby a whole city block and takes approximately an hour to reach its full scale. When I cross over I will need to use a tractor field spell to halt the portals growth before I can start casting the seal charms. Azrael will need to buy me maybe five to ten minutes to complete the process."</p><p>Marcus smiled, glad she was paying attention to his lessons. But knowing what to do and putting it into practice were two different things. Marchosias will no doubt try to stop her, stretching their window wider. "You'll be crossing over to the mortal realm" he continued. "Remember, you may not be part of the White City any more but their prime directive still stands. You know how to detect the presence of watchful eyes, so stay alert. The demon presence will allow the use of your wings and weapons but magic will be prohibited. You'll have to rely on your skill and agility when you are over there."</p><p>"Wings, weapons, but no magic. Understood" she repeated. It did raise the concern for the charms she'll need to cast on the breach. If there are too many mortals around she won't be able to close the portal at all. Regrettably, she would have to hope the initial wave of demons would distract the locals from her actions and let her concentrate. "I can do this" she told herself.</p><p>"Remember, control your emotions. Don't let them become a distraction."</p><p>"A single doubt can lead to hesitation" she finished. She looked back at Marcus taking a shaky breath. "I won't let you down. I'll make you proud."</p><p>"You already do my girl" he told her, sharing a broad smile as she knelt down to embrace her mentor. "You've always made me proud. I know you can do this." She hid her face in the crook of his neck so he couldn't see the tear running down her cheek, wishing she didn't have to do this alone.</p><p>As the team prepared for the coming battle, Jackson came marching into the armoury with a determined look on his face. While the others had left to prepare he stayed by the platform monitoring the legion's progress. His mind was spiralling through the possible outcomes and events leading up to it, trying to find the answer to why Zachery would do something like this. He was always odd but he couldn't believe he was this…<em>evil</em>. And on the day of their hand in, when the university was at its most packed. Zac wanted maximum casualties. He wanted to kill everyone.</p><p>
  <em>My friends are there right now. Ajay, Danielle, Daniel, Kadin, Kassie. Kassie is going to be there! He's going to kill them all!</em>
</p><p>He made his decision and followed the others into the next room. He didn't even register the armoury was new and hadn't ever been on the way to the Soul-Bridge before. Right now he had bigger things to worry about. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Azrael called out seeing him make a beeline for the Soul-Bridge.</p><p>"I'm coming to help" he replied, coming to a pause when he passed a rack of weapons scanning the equipment.</p><p>"No you're not. You're staying here" the Angel said standing in his path.</p><p>"I can't just sit here while my home is destroyed!" Jack snapped pushing past the tall figure to sort through the sharp utensils. "You said it yourself. You're outnumbered, especially with the reaper in a wheelchair."</p><p>"We'll manage. You will just get in the way. You don't have any training, any wartime experience…"</p><p>"I have this" he gestured holding up his palm. "I won't pretend to understand what it is but I'm getting a good idea on how to use it. And I'm a remnant which means I'm stronger and tougher. Christ, I took a nosedive off a bridge and crashed into traffic without a scratch."</p><p>"And as a remnant you are most vulnerable. If you get yourself killed there will be no afterlife for you Just an express pass to oblivion."</p><p>"I'll take my chances."</p><p>Azrael drew a frustrated breath as Jackson turned his back on him, selecting a handful of weapons only to find they were too heavy for him to lift. "Just go back to the Observation Deck with Marcus. You can monitor our progress from there. But if you don't then you're a liability."</p><p>"I don't care!" Jackson shouted angrily knocking over the weapons rack. He took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger burning inside him, but spun to face the unwavering warrior. "My friends are out there!" he told him. "The people I care about are that that university handing in their final submission right now! They are slap bang in the middle of this incursion because someone I knew wanted them to be! I don't know why I'm here, or why I can't go back to my body, or why I have this stupid brand! But if I can use any of it to stop Hell from invading Derby and save them, then I can't just sit here!" He took a breath, his heart racing as everyone looked back at him. He looked back at the three of them, his gaze wavering as his voice spoke in a tone more grounded and determined than anything he'd ever managed in his life. "I've let fear hang over me in some form my entire life. I won't let it stop me from doing this. Not anymore."</p><p>None of them understood what he was talking about. But to him it was important. Fear had controlled his every action. Fear of rejection kept him from telling Kassie how he really felt. Fear of failure has held him back from pushing himself further, to take more risks. Fear of not being normal held him at arm's length from his friends and family. Fear of being insignificant and forgotten had convinced him he didn't have a reason to be alive. <em>No more</em>.</p><p>He looked back at the pile of weapons on the ground, crouching to pick up a heavy broadsword that he pictured would be suitable to fight back against the demons in his way. Azrael reached out and yanked the weapon from his grasp, examining the young boy before tossing the sword back on the pile. He reached to a rack on the wall and pulled down a smaller single blade with a slimmer handle, handing it to him. "This is lighter and more balanced. Keep your stance steady when you use it and try not to stab yourself in the foot." Jack took the sword, feeling the more comfortable weight and giving it a few practice swipes before nodding to the taller man in thanks.</p><p>"You must go now" Marcus interrupted, herding the three of them towards the door. "The longer we tally the greater, the advantage Marchosias will have." The group filed out onto the platform as Azrael activated the console, setting the location of the bridge to the region in limbo where the armies are assembled. "Take care of yourselves and each other" he told them, talking specifically to Freya and Jackson standing side by side behind Azrael.</p><p>"We will" she replied. She turned to Jack as the bridge opened in front of them, bathing the team in a rainbow of colours. "I'm glad you're coming with us" she whispered to him, grateful to have the back up for when she needed to close the breach.</p><p>"Me too" he said, inwardly trembling with nerves worried he might be deluding himself into thinking he could offer any assistance. <em>Cross that bridge when you get there.</em></p><p>"Ready?" Azrael asked glancing at the two kids behind him. When they nodded he lead the way through the portal, disappearing in a flash of light as they were sent through the cosmos leaving Marcus to stare after them.</p><p>"Good luck my friends" he spoke quietly. As he sat looking out into the multiverse he wondered if he'd made a grave mistake and sent his allies to their deaths. He looked down to the swirling vortex and spoke to the entity no doubt watching over him. "I hope you know what you are doing."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Chapter 40</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>36</p><p>Hawkins took a step back as he stared up at the giant creature now standing in the middle of the university. The monster looked like a massive wolf with wings and a snake for a tail, its big red eyes glowing like two orbs of fire burning into his soul as it looked down in his direction. He couldn't comprehend what was going on. He thought he was hallucinating, that the suspect had drugged him at some point and he was seeing things. His partner lay motionless on the floor, his throat slit wide open with blood pouring over the floor. Zachery Helmsley, his suspect and Manning's killer, knelt in front of the wolf bowing his head as if it was some kind of god. Behind him more of the uniform officers arrived to join him, staring up at the same figment of his imagination. Hawkins suddenly considered the possibility that this wasn't in his head.</p><p>"The pitiful human race" the wolf growled, his glowing eyes examining the officers as if they were nothing but ants.</p><p>"Um…sir?" one of the officers squeaked, his wide eyes looking around at everyone as if to ask if he was crazy. Hawkins felt rather unsettled as the wolf spoke, its voice deep and unnatural and terrifying. He didn't dare look away as he signalled for his men to back up, witnessing smaller but equally scary creatures crawl out of the shimmering portal around the wolf's feet. He wanted to say they were dogs or something he could describe, but their limbs were long and their spines contorted, their head misshapen with giant jaws that filled the eyeless faces lined with four rows of teeth. Behind them a handful of humanoid beings followed them out, holding weapons nearly twice their size. They clearly weren't human, their skin green wearing black leather around their waist exposing their muscular chests painted with war paint.</p><p>The wolf looked down at the creatures below him, nodding in their direction. "Go forth and feast." They snarled hungrily as they immediately sprinted forward.</p><p>"Shit!" Hawkins shouted, quickly stumbling backwards with his officers trying to escape the creatures. He had no weapons to use against these monsters. Neither did the uniformed officers as they turned and ran, screaming into their radios. They didn't make it to the exit before the creatures leapt through the air to land on their backs, throwing them to the floor latching their jaws into their flesh, cutting through the protective vest like it was made of sugar paper. The men and women screamed as they were torn apart, blood spraying everywhere.</p><p>Hawkins somehow managed to scramble to the side avoiding the first assault, his hand wrapping around the handle of the nearest door to pry it open. As the strangled voices of the police officers filled the building he sprung into the small room, a meeting space used for presentations with only one form of entry. He slammed the door shut, silencing the screams with a twist of the lock. Outside one of the creatures threw itself against the door of the soundproof room, the glass cracking as it snapped at him. He quickly dragged a chair over jamming it against the door handle, praying it will hold as he dived into the corner out of sight. He was hyperventilating as he pulled out his mobile phone, dialling 999 as fast as he could. Through the walls he heard the muffled screams of students and teachers running for their lives. He daren't bring himself to look outside to see the situation. Fear gripped him tightly. There was nothing in the police handbook about actual monsters slaughtering people. What was he supposed to do? Bringing the phone to his ear he was greeted by a young woman at the call centre. "This is Detective Inspector Joshua Hawkins requesting immediate assistance at Derby University, Friar Gate Road! Send SWAT! Tell them… Requesting heavy weapons for backup."</p><p>"What the nature of your request" the young woman asked after patching the request through. She was smart enough to recognise when the request was dire but professional enough to remain calm and ask for more information.</p><p>Hawkins hesitated. <em>How the hell do I explain that demons from Hell are killing everyone?</em> While he was attempting to explain the situation his mind suddenly recalled what he'd come here for. His face went pale realising he'd left innocent civilians out there to die. "Be advised, multiple casualties. And there are students trapped in the building."</p><p>Upstairs Kassie could hear the screams drifting through the hallways, chilling her to the bone. She was frozen to the spot, looking fearfully around the studio as the officers looked at each other hesitantly. They spoke into their radios trying to find out what was going on. Next to her the others were asking questions, the same concern in their faces trying to peer out of the hallway. "What's happening out there?" Ajay asked the officers, getting rather frustrated they wouldn't answer him. He'd been trying to get answers ever since the police showed up to say that Kassie might be in danger. He was making jokes, thinking it wasn't something serious. But when the screaming started Kassie became petrified. <em>Why would me life be in danger? Who would want to hurt me?</em> <em>What's going on?</em></p><p>The officers failed to get a response through the radio, looking at each other before having a hushed conversation. Daniel turned to look at the others, making sure they were okay, before asking the two of them "What do we do?"</p><p>"I'm going to go investigate" the male officer told them, nodding to his female partner, explaining "I need you all to stay here and follow this officer's instructions.</p><p>"I'm coming with you" he replied. Kadin tried to stop him but he gave his friends and the officers a look indicating there wasn't time to argue. "It's not wise to go alone" he added looking at the female officer. She shared the look with her male counterpart and he sighed, nodding for him to follow. "I'll be okay. Just stay here" Daniel told the others.</p><p>"Be careful" Dani whispered as he followed the police officer. Ajay paced frantically while the girls took each other's hands. Kadin put his arm round Kassie as a show of comfort, feeling her shaking as she watched the two tall men leave to find out what's going on. She was so afraid she could barely breathe.</p><p>Back downstairs, Zachery kept his gaze on the ground as Marchosias stood over him, feeling the dark lord's gaze fall upon him as the hot air of his breath made contact with his skin. He was patient, waiting for him to speak before lifting his gaze to the magnificent being. "Where is my Vanguard?" he growled with a hint of accusation.</p><p>Zac didn't waver as he replied calmly, "He had other matters to attend to. He left me to welcome you to my world."</p><p>Marchosias narrowed his gaze suspiciously. If he believed the mortal was somehow responsible for the demon's disappearance he didn't say it out loud. The Vanguard he had chosen would've been more than a match of any mortal, so he concluded it was unlikely Zac had disposed of him. "You have done well mortal" he said leaning down to address the boy directly. "As promised, you shall receive your reward. Assuming you are worthy enough to survive."</p><p>"I have fulfilled your very request" Zac said looking up at the menacing wolf. "I have suffered and killed in your name. I am worthy. I am ready to receive your gifts. All I ask in return is to stand by your side and burn this city, this planet, to the ground."</p><p>"So be it."</p><p>As Zac waited for his reward, Daniel crept out of the hallway in the first floor stepping around the blue sofa to peer over the balcony alongside the police officer. They both bore witness to Marchosias taking a deep inhale through the snout and exhaling from the mouth. His jaw opened and he unleashed a jet of flames from his throat, aiming for the mortal boy who was suddenly engulfed in fire. "Oh my god!" Daniel gasped staring as Zachery was burned alive.</p><p>But Zachery did not die. He felt agonising pain, but it was pain he was expecting. TheVvanguard had warned him of how excruciating it would be, explaining the process of his ascension should he fulfil his task. The boy listened carefully, mentally preparing himself for the moment his mortal life would cease to exist. As the flames melted his skin he ground his teeth to silence the agonising scream ripping through his throat, forcing his eyes to open and look up as he felt the magic of the ritual markings etched into his flesh course through him. They took the heat of the fire and drew it inside him, burning his insides until nothing was untouched. His entire body was scorched black as pain tore him to pieces. But at the same time something was rebuilt in its place. Power he hadn't felt in his whole life. Zachery's nerves overloaded until there was just a dull hum of emptiness, the last of the pain fading into white noise.</p><p>He was reborn.</p><p>"You may rise" Marchosias spoke as the flames dimmed around the boy, the remnants of energy he'd transferred into his physical form soaking into his flesh as he watched the mortal release a slow breath, black smoke escaping his lips. "Rise."</p><p>The clothes he had been wearing fell off his shoulders, crumbling to ash as he rose to his feet, the muscles in his body flexing adjusting to the enhanced strength bestowed upon him. The ritual lines glowed deep red against his charred black skin, making his body appear like a living shadow. Zac lifted his bald head to look up to the ceiling basking in the new warmth shrouding him, feeling the power Marchosias had granted him flowing through his blood. His scarred face widened in a grin, his once cloudy eye replaced by a red ball of fire while his good eye glowed the same colour. He saw more clearly then he could ever imagine. He could hear the panicked voices of the students cowering throughout the building. He could smell their fear and terror. His nose twitched, a scent so familiar that he turned around to look over his shoulder up to the balcony.</p><p>Daniel recoiled when he locked eyes with them, colliding with another body standing behind him. He turned back to find Ajay, Kassie, Kadin and Dani had followed the female officer out to join her partner, who was staring wide-eyed at the floor below. "Run! Go! Go go go!" Daniel urged them, frantically herding the ground back into the hallway out of sight. He didn't understand what he just saw. But he could tell if they stayed here they were in danger.</p><p>Zac felt a smile curl on his face watching them flee for their lives, knowing they couldn't escape their fate. "With your permission, my lord" he asked bowing to Marchosias gratefully.</p><p>The demon lord nodded to his minions, one of which stood forward holding out a pair of daggers with barbed handles to the mortal. "Go forth and reap the fruits of your labour." Zac graciously took the blades, bowing once more to his master before setting forth to take his vengeance.</p><p>"What's happened to him?" Dani asked, following Daniel as the group sprinted down the corridor past the classrooms and computer stations towards the fire escape at the opposite end. She clutched Kassie's hand, running beside her as the police covered the rear shouting into their radios for support.</p><p>"I don't know" Daniel called over his shoulder, his focus on leading the five of them out of the building before Zac could catch up to them. He didn't have time to ask questions, falling back onto his training back from when he was in cadets before he came to university. He reached the double doors and slammed into them. "Crap!" he grumbled when they didn't open.</p><p>"Come on already!" Ajay shouted while Kadin helped him push against the doors. After the third shoulder barge a gap opened revealing the exit was barred by a heavy chain across the outside. They were locked in with no way out. "It's chained shut!" Kadin told everyone.</p><p>"So we're trapped?" Kassie squeaked gasping for breath.</p><p>"This way" the male officer shouted, taking control of the situation. He lead them back the way they came to a small set of stairs leading up and down to the other two floors. There was no one else on the floor with them, the rest of the staff and students evacuated by the other uniformed officers just before the screaming started. With Kassie placed under guard the rest of the group had been reluctant to just leave her. This meant they were the only ones trapped on the floor. The staircase was big enough to take up a six foot square, leading up to the second floor above them and the ground floor below. The path upstairs was blocked by stacked chairs and tables, so the only course of action was down. The police officer lead the way down, thinking they could find another exit or make a run for the main entrance. His boots touched down on the ground floor before the rest of them had reached the top of the stairs. "Come on" he called up. "Stay close and we'll…"</p><p>The six figures watched as a large shape barrelled out of nowhere colliding with the officer, dragging him out of their sight only to be replaced with a burst of crimson as his scream was lost in a sickening tearing sound. The girls screamed and Ajay nearly threw up.</p><p>The female officer blinked in horror before telling them to back away and led them back into the corridor. She quickly analysed their options while trying the radio again. She couldn't raise anyone and her first priority had to be the safety of the students. She crept to the door they came through, the area outside empty. "Okay, listen to me" she said, trying to keep them calm. "The path to the opposite corridor is clear. We are going to head that way and try to find another exit. If we can't then we are going to find somewhere to wait for back up. Understood?"</p><p>The five of them nodded. She pulled out her Taser and told them to line up behind her, leading them through the doors.</p><p>The path was no longer clear and Zachery Helmsley stood in their path.</p><p>The officer froze as the imposing black figure looked back at her with glowing red eyes, holding two sharp daggers in his fists, breathing thick clouds of smoke. "Get back inside" she hissed under her breath to the students, who backed quickly into the hallway while she raised her stun gun. "Freeze. Don't move!"</p><p>"You cannot stop me" he said calmly, taking a slow step forward flexing his muscles like a predator, the red markings on his skin steaming with heat. She pulled the trigger, firing two metal prongs into his chest as thin wires carried an electrical current capable of dropping a man three times his size. The dart bounced off his skin with a spark of electricity, falling uselessly to the floor. He glanced down at them amused. "I'm beyond your mortal weapons now."</p><p>She stared in petrified awe as the boy charged forward, his weapons raised over his head glinting in the faint lights overhead. She screamed out as they were brought down on her. Five seconds later she was falling lifelessly to the floor.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Chapter 41</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>37</p><p>The team stepped through the Soul-Bridge onto the uneven terrain of the roof of a building, a large slab of concrete greeting the three of them as the rainbow portal vanished behind them with a thundering BOOM. Even Jack managed to avoid stumbling out, his stomach settling after traveling the rainbow bridge several times now. "We're here" Azrael announced, walking over to the edge of the roof looking out over the landscape.</p><p>The first thing Jack noticed was the sky had turned blood red, the grey clouds now soot black as they obscured the horizon in a swirling spiral. A faint red haze was cast over the landscape, illuminating everything in a red glow. He came up to the edge of the roof beside the Angel of Death and immediately gulped. "That's not Derby."</p><p>The first time he crossed into Limbo he had passed into a mirror image of the city he died in. The second time he entered this realm it was a greyscale interpretation of his hometown Ilkeston. Both times he found the landscape recognisable because, as it was explained to him, Limbo is the buffer between all other realms in creation and existed as a reflection of the other worlds. At this very moment it wasn't Derby that was being reflected across this scene. Instead the land was a vast expanse of rocky terrain rising and falling with chasms and pits, uneven roads leading through ruins of buildings and piles of rubble towards the site where a portal hovered on the pinnacle of a hill, glowing like an orange fire lighting the way to conquest. The breach was visible form their vantage point, approximately half a mile away, sitting in a collapsed structure that may once have resembled the university at some point. Surrounding the breach was thousands and thousands of demons, all shapes and sizes from different cultures, all with the single goal of slaughtering the mortal race under the banner of their Dark Lord. They waited impatiently in disorganised groups scattered across the landscape, their generals standing at the heads awaiting the order to march on the breach the moment it was large enough to allow their entire regiments to storm the realm. The portal grew slowly over time, rising like a furnace casting its glow further and burning hotter.</p><p>The sheer scope of the army massed in Limbo gave Jackson vertigo, reaching out to grab the frail banister stopping him from falling over the edge of the building. He looked down to the ground fifty storeys below, controlling his breathing until he could stomach looking back up. It was a good job he wasn't afraid of heights. He'd spent quite some staring down at a fatal drop over his life so he was used to high places.</p><p>Azrael examined the scene below and finally answered his statement. "Limbo has a nasty habit of terraforming in response to a strong supernatural presence. Thirty legions of demons all in one place. This whole area's a powder keg."</p><p>"There's so many" Freya whispered staring in wonder and fear, her eyes scanning the mass of soldiers and monsters leading up to the breach. With a lump forming in her throat she turned to the warrior angel. "I can't see him."</p><p>"Neither can I" he replied without tearing his gaze away. He didn't expect to. Marchosias liked to lead his armies at the front, unlike many of his ilk across Hell who preferred to sit on their thrones and let their soldiers fight their wars. No, this Lord was among the most dangerous because he always led the advance forces. The first to invade opposing territory to engage the defending forces with his powerful jets of demonic flames. Hundreds of realms have fallen to his solitary presence, burned to cinders. Azrael had assumed from the moment he arrived Marchosias had already crossed the breach to greet the human race. <em>God help them.</em> He decided not to inform the other two of these observations. They needed to focus on closing the breach and not on the prospect of going up against the Demon Lord. He just hoped Marchosias was too busy scorching the earth-lands to notice them. "I'm going to go down there and form a perimeter" he explained to the young girl, also addressing the boy who had stopped heaving over the ledge. "My wraiths and I will hold his forces back for as long as we can, but we'll need that portal closed. Wait a few moments for my forces to get into position before you fly overhead and cross over. Do you understand?" She nodded her head. He turned to Jack, quietly telling him "If you insist on being here, than your responsibility is to keep her safe until the job is done. Understood?"</p><p>"Understood" he replied.</p><p>With nothing more to say Azrael turned to the ledge and flexed his shoulders. Dropping to a crouch, both his comrades watched as a pair of ethereal wings shimmered from his back, propelling him up into the air like two ghostly figures carrying the man through the sky towards the battleground. <em>Well, that answers that question </em>Jack thought to himself watching the angel fly down to meet the demons. From the sky several hundred dots of blue light followed him to form a barricade between the forces of darkness and the growing portal. He glanced over at Freya, who was staring after him silently. "Are you okay?" he asked her.</p><p>"I'm fine" she replied, her voice trembling.</p><p>"You're shaking" he said, seeing her body shivering as she looked out over the twisted landscape. He walked over and tried putting a hand on her arm. She stared out at the demons covering the ground below them, stretching out as far as the eye could see, like a black ocean. She fought against the overwhelming emotions making her heart race and chest tighten. She had never seen so many like this before. She had never undertaken such a task without Marcus. He was the one who would close the breaches. She would just assist and follow his lead. But now it was all up to her. The fate of the mortal realm was on her shoulders. Marcus believed she could handle it, but she wasn't so sure.</p><p>The image of Nazim came to her mind, his hollow eyes burning into her as he smiled, his blood on her hands as he whispered in her ear, "<em>I guess that information dies with me</em>."</p><p>"I can't do this!" she suddenly blurted out, backing away from the ledge terrified. "I can't do this" she whispered, over and over like a mantra, her breath hyperventilating as her face turned pale. Nazim's words chased her across the roof, making her sick to her stomach. She'd failed Marcus once already. <em>What if I failed him again? What if I can't close the portal without him? It'll be all my fault!</em></p><p>Jackson watched as she frantically paced the roof, tears running down her cheeks as she began talking to herself. He ran up to her grabbing her shoulders, forcing her to stand still long enough to look at him. "Freya! Look at me. LOOK AT ME! Just breathe, okay? Just breathe. Nothing else. Breathe." She stared back at him, forcing herself to listen and follow his advice. Her lungs strained to follow her commands, but eventually her rapid panting eased into a slow, raspy, shaky rhythm. Jack held her until she was taking one deep steady breath after the other, feeling her body trembling in his grasp. "You're okay" he said calmly.</p><p>She looked up at him, still crying as she quietly squeaked "What if we don't stop this? All those people… Millions of people are going to die. I've never done anything like this on my own before. I can't… I don't think I can do this without him!"</p><p>"Yes you can" he told her, squeezing her arms gently reminding her to keep breathing as he went on. "I've seen you do this once already. You've fought demons. You saved my life. You are an absolute badass. If anyone can do this, you can." She didn't seem convinced, sniffling back sobs every so often. Jack suddenly realised what she was trying to do, quietly consoling her. "It's okay to admit you're scared."</p><p>"I can't let emotions distract me. One doubt leads to hesitation…" she recounted, but Jack interrupted her. "It's okay to be afraid. You wouldn't be human if you weren't. You don't need to be ashamed of it."</p><p>She paused and looked up at the mortal boy, his expression full of concern but remaining calm for her benefit. "What about you?" she asked him shaking.</p><p>"Oh, I'm petrified" he answered chuckling. She chuckled back, staring at him confused and bewildered. He found his response just as baffling. He should be as much a wreck as she was. But he was calm. He was nervous and frightened, but still calm. He recalled a time when he had to repel backwards over a cliff-face, supported by a single fellow climber who had no experience doing this activity. He was terrified of putting his fate in their hands, falling back over the edge in a leap of faith. But standing up there in the moments before he did so, he found his centre. A moment of calm amidst the chaos. He'd forgotten that feeling until now, on the threshold of the coming ordeal. There was fear, but also no paralysing terror.</p><p>He took the leap of faith and made it to the bottom of that cliff.</p><p>"I think" he said slowly, attempting to explain what he was feeling and put it into words. "I think we need to be afraid. Without it, we forget the reasons we are here to begin with. It pushes us to move forward, showing us the limits were need to reach past in order to become better. We hesitate so we can remind ourselves what we are fighting for." He looked over his shoulder to the portal in the distance, the light reflecting in Freya's eyes as she followed his gaze. "My friends are over there" he spoke quietly. "They don't know what's coming. They haven't seen what I've seen. They are in that building right now, handing in their university work to be marked and graded to carry over into our next year of study. All the while, Hell is literally on its way to freeze over. I'm the only one who knows it's coming. And if I don't stop it, the love of my life…" He froze to a stop, realising this was the first time he'd used those words out loud. "Kassie is in danger. And I can't lose her a second time."</p><p>Freya was watching him the entire time he was speaking, his words finding something deep inside her that lifted the weight wrapping around her chest until her breathing had grown more calm and confident. Jackson didn't realise it in that moment but he had manage to inspire Freya into believing in herself again, in a way that both complimented everything Marcus had taught her and contradicted it at the same time. A part of Freya had always disagreed with what Marcus believed about the world. And now that part listened to this remnant and accepted it.</p><p>The two of them shared a moment, their presence uplifting each other into returning to the edge of the roof to look over the grim scenery. Freya looked out now, still feeling that fear, but now it was like a cushion holding her up. She took a deep breath, glancing at the encouraging young man, and exhaled slowly. <em>I can do this</em> she told herself, tapping her pendant releasing her wings. The grey cloak that hung down to her elbows faded away as a bright yellow light spread over her body, the shape of and weight of her wings growing out of her shoulder blades to stretch into the air materialising into physical form. She always felt a breath of familiar relief when it happened, like a part of her had returned to make her whole. She looked back at Jack, who was staring at her in wonder. "What?" she asked self-consciously.</p><p>"Nothing" he said offering a smile. "It just looked awesome." She let out a nervous laugh, mildly shaking her head, thinking Mortals were easily amused. But a tiny part of her agreed. She did feel awesome. He looked over the edge, checking the sword he'd sheathed on his hip awkwardly. "Okay, Azrael and his guys seem to be in position" he told her. "Just to ask though, how are we going to get over there? In case you haven't noticed, I can't fly."</p><p>"Don't worry" she said hopping on the balls of her feet, adrenaline kicking her body into gear readying her for take-off. She took her place behind him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, hooking under his armpits and locking her hands. "Do you trust me?" she asked him.</p><p>"Yeah, I do" he replied after a moment to consider it. After everything they'd been through, it seemed appropriately honest.</p><p>"Then hold on" she said to him, bending her knees and pushing them both forward until they were toppling over the bannister.</p><p>"Wait, hold on to whaAAHH!" Jack screamed as they both fell off the roof into freefall, plunging headfirst towards the ground hurtling towards them. He did the only thing available to him and clung to Freya's tight embrace as she spread her wings, catching the updraft and gliding out over the ground into the air, souring over the demon army towards the breach site.</p><p>She let go of her fear a moment to enjoy their moment of flight.</p>
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<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Chapter 42</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>38</p><p>The road leading to the front entrance of the university was filled with the sound of sirens as white and yellow cars weaved between groups of baffled and fearful students fleeing from the building. Staff and security herded them off the road letting the police pass, the cars skidding to a stop at the foot of the front steps. Several young people continued to hover nearby, recording the officer's arrival on their phones. They were told to keep back while the swat team arrived, their officers armed with rifles speaking into headsets as they formed a perimeter, waiting for instructions from the senior officers on scene. They were on the phone to Hawkins, who was trapped indoors trying to make sense of his bizarre reports.</p><p>There was movement from inside as a large shadow emerged from behind the glass doors, prompting the officers to raise their weapons and take aim. The senior officers ordered them to hold fire until he could get a clear understanding of the situation. Hawkins was claiming there were no hostages, no armed assailants, instead that the university had been turned into a slaughterhouse for monsters. When the large shape ducked through the glass doors, the panes shattering under the weight and force of two massive wings showering glass across the concrete, the head of a large wolf blinking at the sunlight as it rose to full height glaring down at them through red eyes, he considered the possibility the frantic detective might not have been mistaken. Marchosias stepped out of the building to look upon the world he would soon rule over, regarding the humans gathering in front of him with as much interest as one would show an ant. One of the officers spoke through a megaphone, his voice clear but clearly unsettled as he called to the giant wolf. "Put your…um…paws behind your head." That man got a few looks from his comrades prompting him to shrug with embarrassment. They didn't have a procedure for massive wolves with wings and snake tails.</p><p>The Dark Lord chuckled to himself, savouring the smell of fear and sweat before it would soon turn to terror. His nostrils flared as he inhaled a long breath, hot air filling his lungs to be ignited as he exhaled, opening his jaws to unleash a jet of orange flames down the steps. The police officers reacted too slowly, frozen with indecision as a ball of fire roared straight for them. Three men were engulfed immediately along with a car, the petrol inside the vehicle igniting in an explosion setting the trees on fire. The officers screamed as their skin melted, their arms flailing wildly as they fell over writhing in pain. Their comrades stared at them paralysed, giving Marchosias time to regain his breath and step forward grinning.</p><p>The senior officer was the first to recover, shouting to the swat team "Open fire!" Normally, procedures had to be followed before live rounds were permitted in a public area. However nobody had time to consider legalities as the rifles erupted, firing live rounds at the massive fire breathing creature. Civilians were still recording all of this, cowering behind cover making sure their cameras still had the action in shot. One young man was livestreaming the action on twitter thinking this was some kind of performance art.</p><p>Marchosias barely felt the bullets hit his thick skin. He looked down at the mortals firing their useless weapons at him, snarling as he leapt forward pouncing on the nearest armoured officer. His jaw locked around him before he could even cry out, his teeth cutting through the bullet proof vest crushing his ribs and piercing his organs. His legs kicked madly as the wolf yanked him off his feet, tossing the lifeless body over the police barricade into the river behind them before slamming his front legs on top of a police cruiser. Metal and glass crunched under his weight, the nearby officers diving for cover before his snake tail whipped around to swipe them off their feet. The tail caught one woman's foot and whipped her into the air. Her head hit the floor as she flipped upside down, knocking her unconscious. Her partners watched horrified as she was smashed down onto the concrete, her body bursting in an explosion of blood when she stuck the ground. Cameras recorded the gruesome scene as the police finally realised they were out of their depth, screaming to each other fleeing for their lives. Marchosias let them run, covering the street in flames burning away the few brave souls who stayed, their screams and wails echoing through the air. Phones and cameras were dropped as the fire spread through the streets, setting their owners on fire as they attempted to run away. That livestream on twitter was cut abruptly short when the man dropped his phone.</p><p>The last thing viewers saw was the smoke rising into the sky, hearing his scream while the shape of the giant wolf fell over the screen before it all went black.</p><p>Zachery stepped into the long open corridor, scanning the studios and classrooms lining the left side. The daggers in his hands dripped with fresh blood onto the floor by his feet, his black skin like a shadow walking through the halls. His glowing eyes couldn't see anyone, but he knew they were there. He could smell them, the scent of fear filling his nostrils. "There's nowhere for you to run" he called out patiently, his voice carrying through the empty rooms. "I barred all the exits this morning."</p><p>The five terrified students huddled behind cover, scattered through the hall out of sight. It was Daniel's suggestion. Multiple hiding places guaranteed an opening for one or more of them to slip behind him and out the way he came in. Danielle and Kadin crouched underneath a table in the first studio out of view, the small girl hugging her knees as the young man carefully kept an eye on the hall. Kassie and Ajay sat side by side in the third classroom ducked underneath a window partition. Daniel crouched behind a photocopier at the far end of the corridor. He made sure he was alone because he planned to ensure he was the first to be detected, intending to draw Zac towards him so the others to sneak away behind his back. He didn't think the others would like his plan so he didn't tell them all the details.</p><p>The layout of the hallway left a narrow gap between the long stretch and the neighbouring classrooms where he could peer down to the lower levels. Below him he saw the bodies of various men and women devoured by the demons that had killed them. The sight made Zac smile as he scanned the empty spaces. First a walled off studio where the animation course usually operated, completely empty and clear when he poked his head in. After that was an open space with tables, a classroom, a computer studio, another classroom, one more studio, the final classroom and then the final open space with tables. He walked along the hallway alongside them, casting his eye across the balcony, taking his time listening for disturbances. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment" he said calmly, the glee in his voice adding a sick edge to his voice. He knew they could hear him. He wanted them to hear him. "Months of gathering artefacts, spells and knowledge, all preparing for this moment where I could stalk my prey through the halls like the predator I was always meant to be. Such a thrill. So much power in being a hunter. I'm glad you're making it more enjoyable for me, however pointless it is."</p><p>He reached the first studio, his eyes scanning the rows of computers. Kadin ducked back under the desk putting a finger to his lips. Dani held her breath. Zac paused at the end of the row and tilted his head, sniffing the air. The building was filled with sweat and fear, but he could tell a familiar scent. One he'd been following since he detected it down below. He slowly crossed the space, continuing to speak. "I'm sorry you had to watch your friends and tutors be massacred. Actually, I'm not. They deserved everything that was coming to them. I'm just sorry I couldn't be the one to tear their throats out." Dani flinched away as Zac's foot appeared a few inches from where she was hiding, covering her mouth so she didn't make a sound, while Kadin braced himself ready to spring out at him if needed. Zac couldn't see them from where he was standing, his gaze drifting over the tables slowly. He glanced down suspiciously. He thought he saw a flicker of a shadow from beneath the table.</p><p>Daniel poked his head out to see the black figure hovering where Dani and Kadin were hiding, putting his plan into action before he had the opportunity to discover them. "You won't get away with this Zac!" he called out, immediately ducking out of sight.</p><p>He turned sharply in the direction of his voice, peering through the glass windows searching the empty space. He inhaled sharply, the scent directing him away from his current position as he walked away. "Who's going to stop me?" he asked stepping into the classroom, the door swinging shut behind him obscuring the sight of Danielle quietly exhaling with relief. They remained in their hiding spot just in case he came back.</p><p>Daniel could see him approaching his direction. All he had to do was draw him past the third class room then everyone could escape without him. Maybe he'd be able to catch him by surprise and follow them. "You killed that police woman" he said loudly, keeping Zac's attention. "You brought those creatures here? Why? What did we ever do to you?"</p><p>"Everything" he growled in response, smoke billowing from his lungs. "The way you looked down upon me like I was trash. You thought you were all entitled and privileged, thinking you could turn your noses at me and talk behind my back. I could hear what you were saying. Calling me a freak. A creep. You all deserve what's happening right now. And I'm going to make you pay."</p><p>"You've got it all wrong! We only ever tried to reach out to you. You were the one who pushed us away. You were angry long before we met you."</p><p>"Because this world made me suffer my entire life!" he spat angrily, throwing several computers across the room with astonishing force. Everyone jumped hearing them shatter to pieces as Zac heaved angrily. "It gave me a mother who'd rather crawl into a needle then take care of me. A father who liked to beat me until I couldn't cry anymore. Nobody was kind to me. But they expected me to be kind to them? You all expected me to be nice and respectful when nobody had any respect for me? You didn't care! None of you cared about me! You didn't care when my dad would beat me! You didn't care when I slit my wrists! You didn't care when I lost everything!"</p><p>He paused to listen for a response, expecting a mocking show of pity and remorse. As predicted the voice came back "I'm sorry. I didn't know…"</p><p>"Why would you?" he growled. "I was just a freak for you to make fun of." He came to a stop at the end of the row, the scent stronger as he sniffed the air. His eyes drifted over to the glass windows lining the top half of the partition enclosing the third class room. "There you are" he smiled taking a step forward.</p><p>Daniel peered around and realised Zac had changed course, calling out to catch his attention again. "Look, we tried okay! But you wouldn't let any of us in!"</p><p>"Poking your nose where it didn't belong. I didn't want your pity, but you still kept pushing" he said quietly, ignoring the voice instead stepping towards the classroom. "If there was one thing I hated more than people talking behind my back, it was when those people pretend to be kind just to make themselves feel better." He stopped a few feet from the wall, behind which two silent figures sat huddled in fear. "Just like you, Miss L'amahle."</p><p>Kassie stiffened at the mention of her name, glancing over to see Ajay mouthing her to stay still edging lower in his seat. They could hear Zac breathing through the wall pressed against their backs, feel his hot gaze on the windows above them.</p><p>"I've been looking for you Kassie" Zachery said menacingly, speaking her name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I always despised you the most. I've been watching you. The way you walk and talk like you're some kind of princess among peasants. I've seen how people follow you like puppy dogs, treat you like royalty. You think you're so much more entitled than me? You thought I needed you to save me? I didn't need your pity." He took a step forward, his face reflecting in the glass hovering a few inches away. He glanced down and could just make out the top of her head as she pressed further against the wall, trying to keep out of sight. He smiled relishing the moment. "You want to know a secret" he whispered, loud enough for just her to hear. "You weren't meant to be here today. You were meant to be sacrificed days ago. Your death was supposed to open the door for my master, sparing you from the horrors he would bring with him. I waited outside your apartment for hours that afternoon, just thinking of all the fun we could've had together before you died." He could sense her shifting, petrified behind the glass, imagining her skin going very pale with every word he uttered. His expression dropped to a scowl. "But I was robbed of that moment. Because <em>he</em> was there."</p><p>Kassie listened to his every word, her heart beating more and more rapidly as the blood drained from her face. She couldn't believe what he was saying. This was what the police had meant when they explained her life was in danger. Zac wanted to kill her. But as he continued to talk her frightened mind put it all together. Zac waited outside her apartment but couldn't get inside, waiting for her to return only to be stopped by… "Oh god" she gasped as she realised who he was talking about.</p><p>"I couldn't get to you as long there were witnesses" he explained coldly. "Not then. Secrecy was necessary. But he always got in the way. Every time. He didn't leave you alone. He had to interfere. Fortunately, he proved an acceptable replacement. You should've heard his screams, pleading for his life as I watched the life drain from his eyes. It was beautiful."</p><p>Tears fell down her face as she struggled to breath, her body trembling with fear and distress realising it was all her fault. It <em>was </em>her who was supposed to die that day. The day Jack was attacked. He walked her home, stopping Zac from ambushing her on her way to her apartment. He saved her without even realising it. But nobody was there to save him.</p><p>Zachery murdered Jackson White. And now he was coming to kill her.</p>
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<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Chapter 43</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>39</p><p>Azrael was quick to take his position in front of the portal, standing between the mortal world and the surprised demons who were tentatively waiting for the order to storm the breach. He landed in a small mushroom cloud, his ethereal wings fading away as quickly as they had appeared. Either side of him his wraiths materialised in flashes of blue light and mists, weapons drawn, disfigured or shrouded faces glaring at the invasion force. He'd spent centuries building up this militia, recruiting worthy soldiers and warriors who passed through the Well of Souls, who showed to be worthy of serving under him. Mortals contributed his army to the Viking myth of Valhalla, despite not realising that was a separate realm all together. The comparison was sound, however. He had called in a healthy response to the invasion, holding a decent number back to continue ferrying souls to the Well and defend the fortress in his absence. He didn't have time to organise reinforcements. If they fell here, the mortal realm was lost. With a draw of his sword he squared his shoulders, bracing himself for the predictable attack.</p><p>The demon leaders who had been waiting glared at the assembled barricade, immediately changing their mind about patience. With a loud battle cry their legions surged forward, charging the line with massive axes and claws raised. They struck the wall of shields produced by the wraiths, their progress brought to a halt as the second line behind the shields struck back with lances and spears and the occasional rifle. "HOLD THE LINE!" Azrael shouted, standing at the head of the pack cutting through the mass of monsters that assaulted him. He was more than a match for any of these low level drones. Even the lieutenants were hesitant to attack him. He'd trained his wraiths well. No casualties as of yet. Even if they fell, they could be reborn within the Well of Souls. But they wouldn't be able to return to the battle in time. No amount of training could outmatch the overwhelming numbers Marchosias' forces had.</p><p>He looked up over their heads quietly muttering, "Hurry up kid. We don't have all day."</p><p>"ANY CHANCE YOU COULD FLY A LITTLE HIGHER?"</p><p>"Do you have any idea how heavy you are?" Freya complained through gritted teeth, her arms aching clutching her own wrists tightly trying to hold on tightly. Jackson squirmed in her grasp, his weight dragging him down until her hands were pressed just below the neck, his arms grasping her shoulders and arms leaving his legs kicking frantically below them. "Stop moving so much!"</p><p>"I'm trying" he shouted, attempting to establish a solid grip. His feet brushed past fur and horns, running over the heads of startled demons who looked up to see the pair stumbling through the sky. If he was terrified before, he was petrified now. Not of the demons, but of falling to his death. <em>Rather ironic, what with the number of times I considered jumping off a bridge.</em></p><p>Freya flapped her wings trying to gain altitude, straining to lift the mortal boy with her. She looked down and saw the demon army below her, throwing rocks and spears and arrows in her direction. "Hold on" she cried weaving through the barrage.</p><p>"I am holding on!" Jack replied angrily, trying to keep his grip while willing her to dodge the sailing projectiles. After a few seconds one of the rocks hit him in the stomach, the sudden motion disturbing their tentative posture causing him to slip out of her arms. "FREYA!" he screamed throwing his arms out, reaching for the panicking angel as she reacted just as quickly.</p><p>She let go of her wrists and immediately dropped down to catch his arms, their hands locked like vices around each other, the sudden shift in gravitational force yanking her down with him. "I've got you!" she winced, her arms almost popping out of their sockets as her spine arched up, her wings buffeting the demons, pulling up desperately before Jack knocked down a few rows of monsters.</p><p>"UP, UP, UP!" he shouted, kicking at heads and vaulting over demons, claws and hands reaching for him attempting the catch them. He stared up at the struggling girl, praying she could carry them the rest of the way before her strength gave out and she dropped him.</p><p>She looked up and could see the portal closing in, the mass of demons thinning out as they flew over Azrael and his wraiths. She caught his eye as she crossed his path, seeing him tapping his wrist. He never wore a watch but for some reason had adopted the motion to say "tick tock". She turned her focus to the breach, a clear path to the opening into the mortal world. "We're almost there" she told Jack.</p><p>Jack saw the portal closing in, glancing down measuring the sped the ground was traveling beneath them. "Um… Any chance you could slow down a little?" he asked.</p><p>She glanced down and realised they were tumbling through the air too fast, twisting her wings trying to slow their descent. "I'm trying" she said. Their momentum slowed to a less fatal velocity. The portal still arrived too soon however. "Hang on!" she cried as Jack screamed loudly, bracing himself for the rough landing.</p><p>On the opposite side of the breach, a pair of demon sentries stood guard either side of the growing opening. Their lances stood comfortably in their hands looking straight ahead, watching the sight of their master through the glass doors as he attacked the mortals outside. They listened to the sounds of crying and death while their minions tore through the unlucky mortals trapped inside. Music to their ears. Yet they were still content to stand guard and await the rest of the invasion before taking their turn to enjoy the slaughter. After a while one of them glanced up at the portal behind him, sharing an exchange with his comrade. "Shouldn't they be crossing over by now?" he asked.</p><p>His partner examined the breach. It appeared an acceptable size to lead the first wave through. "Maybe" he shrugged.</p><p>"You don't think the lieutenants are arguing again do you?"</p><p>"They swore to put their differences on hold until this world was under our control" he replied.</p><p>The sentry thought about it a moment. "Dericos was complaining about his proposed share of the territory. He and Finch were always bickering over it."</p><p>"You think they decided now was the time to get into a scrap?" he asked. His partner shrugged. They had to consider it. With sigh the sentry looked over his shoulder. He was right. They should be crossing by now. "Stay here. I'll see what's going on over there" he conceded leaving his post. His partner nodded, looking forward as the demon turned to cross back into Limbo and see what the hold-up was. He peered through the shimmering veil into the distorted landscape, hoping to catch a glimpse of the invasion before he crossed the threshold.</p><p>Instead he was granted an image of a pale face hurtling towards him, the shrill voice of a human scream growing in pitch. The sentry's eyes widened as the figure flew straight at him, thrown through the portal colliding with the demon sending him hurtling backwards. "Too fast!" Jackson cried out just as he made impact with the tall figure, the trio of bodies tumbling to the ground sprawling.</p><p>Freya struck the floor, twisting her body to let her side take the impact, her wings folding around her so she could roll back onto her feet in a practiced motion. She came up sliding into a crouch, her fingers on the floor, her head shooting up to see the surprised sentry standing watch. She sprung forward moments before he could react, her spear in her hand crossing the empty space. The demon shook off the daze and quickly swung the lance down towards her, but her free hand was up catching it in a spin, twirling like a ballerina stabbing the retracted spear into his stomach piercing through the demon effortlessly. She kept her momentum moving, shoving him down to the ground onto his back sending a pulse of magic through her spear disintegrating the sentry. The whole fight lasted five seconds.</p><p>On the floor Jack looked down to see the shocked expression of the demon who'd cushioned his fall. They locked eyes a moment staring at each other. "Hi" Jack offered, uncomfortable with the silence. The sentry pushed the mortal off him, scrambling for his fallen weapon as Jack hastily reached for his sword. The moment the demon got his fingers wrapped around the lance Jack managed to slash at him with his blade, cutting through the figures chest making him cry out. Hopped up on adrenaline Jack followed up with a plunge into his shoulder, stabbing the demon spilling dark blood. He screamed in pain bringing his lance up, plunging it towards the mortal aggressively. With his sword still in the demon Jack couldn't defend himself, watching the pointed end shoot towards him before it was deflected by Freya's silver spear. She spun the staff in her hands and stabbed the pointed round end into the demons chest killing it efficiently.</p><p>"You okay?" she asked after helping Jack to his feet, checking the empty space while he pulled his blade out of the monster.</p><p>"I'll live" he replied scanning the familiar building. He saw bodies and blood everywhere, burying the sick feeling long enough to mutter "Nice flying, Amelia Earhart."</p><p>"Shut up" she scoffed punching him in the arm. "You ever consider going on a diet?"</p><p>"Maybe before I die. Oh wait."</p><p>She rolled her eyes and they both started chuckling. They were both glad to have made it altogether.</p><p>They approached the breach side by side, looking up at the shimmering portal standing in the middle of the large university lobby. On the floor a symbol drawn in blood glowed, generating the breach. Freya examined the symbol, along with the body lying next to it who was sacrificed to rip a hole in the fabric of reality. "That's a big door" Jack muttered staring at the portal. "You sure you can close it?"</p><p>"I think so" she said hesitantly. She had the knowhow from her studies, and her time spent with Marcus, but never done this on her own. <em>Too late to turn back now,</em> she thought as she held her spear in both hands, slamming the round end into the floor so it stood upright with the silver head in front of the opening. "Lock and seal" she spoke, tracing the runes around the enchanted metal casting the spell out halting the progress of the portal.</p><p>"So what do we do?" Jack asked while he watched her, hearing the sounds of growling demons echoing through the corridors branching from the lobby.</p><p>"This spell will keep the portal from growing" she explained. "It'll also lock it so no one can get in or out. It gives us time so I can close it. Just watch my back." He nodded turning his back on the portal, scanning the empty space quietly, peering around the corner to see more bodies in the canteen. No monsters or survivors. He heard a ruckus outside, guessing they'd left them alone. A part of him wanted to run out and see if he could help, but right now they needed the portal closed before more showed up. Freya started tracing the rune and chanting her spells, weaving her magic to begin shrinking the gateway.</p><p>A few seconds into it she suddenly stopped, her breath catching as a warning shiver creeped up the back of her neck. Her magic dissolved immediately. "What's wrong?" Jack asked running back over to her.</p><p>"Someone's watching?" she whispered glancing around nervously. He gave her a questioning shrug not seeing the issue. "I can't use my magic in the presence of mortals" she explained.</p><p>Jack looked around for any sign of a survivor who might be hiding out of sight watching them. If Freya couldn't use her magic than they couldn't close the portal, so Jack had to find whoever it was she was sensing. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about it when he found them. He circled the lobby, peering down the nearby corridors, up to the balcony, his quiet footsteps moving towards a closed door as he peered through the glass.</p><p>Behind the door Detective Inspector Hawkins ducked out of sight, questions circling in his head when he saw his comatose victim standing beside the winged young woman. He couldn't explain why he was here or how it was possible. Maybe it was a trick of the light. The building was crawling with demons, which shouldn't be possible, so maybe this wasn't the young man who was stabbed in that alley. He was reluctant to investigate further, hiding behind the table as Jack approached the glass to look inside. Hawkins could see very clearly the boy's face. There no doubt it was him. <em>How is that possible?</em></p><p>"Jack!" Freya called to him, the tingle on her neck gone. She shared a glance with him, shrugging their shoulders. He hadn't found whoever had eyes on her. But a logical feeling suggested he was nearby.</p><p>He stood and listened a moment, hearing a shuffling behind the door he was in front of. He couldn't see anyone as he peered into the small meeting room. He took a step back and found a discarded coat on the ground stained with blood. Taking an educated guess he picked up the coat and hooked it up on the door so it covered the glass window, obscuring Hawkins's view outside so he couldn't interfere with Freya's magic. "You good?" he asked, stepping away to scan the rest of the balconies again just in case his guess was wrong.</p><p>"Yeah, thanks" she replied continuing her spell.</p><p>In the small room Hawkins sat back against the wall staring at the picture he'd snapped of Jackson and Freya in front of the portal with his phone. He couldn't explain what he was seeing at the moment. Maybe after it was all over he could find some answers. All he needed to do was stay quiet and out of sight.</p>
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<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Chapter 44</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>40</p><p>Daniel had to think of a new strategy. Zachery was fifteen feet away from where he was hiding. Too far away to sprint across just yet. What worried him was the attention on his friends. All of Zac's attention was on Kassie right now. Daniel could see her cowering inside the classroom beneath the window, Ajay crouched besides her trying to keep her calm and quiet. He caught Ajay's eye, his face panicking and frantically gesturing to the scary black skinned figure creeping closer to his position. Daniel did the math in his head. Dani and Kadin were safe. They could run out the front door before Zac caught up to them. For Kassie and Ajay they would need to distract him.</p><p>That's what Daniel was calculating. He was measuring the distance between him and them. <em>Could he make it</em>? He decided to try one last time to divert his attention, draw him away so they could slip behind and escape. He had to make it count. "You're the one who stabbed Jackson!"</p><p>Zac glanced in his direction, his mouth stretching to a chilling smile as he replied "I'm the one who killed him. Believe me, he was as good as dead when I left him in that alley." He heard a muffled squeak from behind the wall in front of him, taking a step forward towards the glass. "It should've been you. Two hours waiting for you to come home. He shouldn't have gotten in my way. I told him it should've been you just before he died." He put his hand on the glass, feeling it crack as he carefully increased the force against the surface. Both the students in hiding looked up to see the thin white lines cutting through the window above Kassie's head. "It's all your fault. He died blaming you."</p><p>Daniel moved like a cheetah, crossing the space in the span of ten seconds, knees bent in a crouch. Zac had made the mistake of moving around the corner of the classroom, so he couldn't see Daniel running towards him until he leapt out at him. He released a primal battle cry as he charged into Zac from the side, driving his shoulder into his ribs sending them both to the ground. "EVERYONE RUN!" he shouted to the others, grappling with Zac to keep him from reclaiming the daggers that fell from his grip.</p><p>The boys took the cue, ushering the girls to leap out of their hiding places. Kadin and Dani stepped out from under the table and peered through the classroom between them and Zac, watching Daniel struggle with him. Opposite them Ajay stood up and stared at them through the window, yanking Kassie out of her seat. She had tears covering her cheeks as she scrambled away around chairs and tables towards the opposite door, expecting to loop around and re-join Kadin and Dani and Daniel.</p><p>Daniel wasn't expecting to get out of this scrap intact, but he'd hoped to pin Zac down longer than he did. His eyes flared angrily with orange flames as he kicked the bearded man away, knocking the wind out of him with a powerful thrust of his foot. Daniel was able to keep his footing somehow, heaving for breath keeping his eyes on him. He sprung forward again, his right fist crashing down striking Zac across the temple. His knuckles cracked as if he punched a steel plate. He cried out in pain. The impact made Zac even angrier, screaming in fury striking Daniel with a backhand that sent the boy flying into the cracked glass shattering it. Kassie and Ajay were still in the room when their friend was flung into the classroom in a shower of glass. Ajay stumbled over his feet witnessing Daniel tumble through the air like a ragdoll, his eyes wide. Kassie was more terrified and emotional. She screamed.</p><p>One floor below, Jackson heard her scream. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when he heard her voice. He immediate knew it was her. He could always tell when it was her. The whole world just came to a stop as he spun on his heel, following the sound of her voice to upstairs where they were supposed to hand in their coursework. His heart clenched in a vice. His breath caught in his throat. "Kassie!"</p><p>"DANIEL!" Danielle screamed, frozen in indecision at the opposite side of the classroom. Kadin and she had been on the verge of sprinting for the door when they saw Zac retaliate so suddenly, trapped by fear, afraid he'd just killed the brave fool.</p><p>Zac whirled to the sound of her voice. He thought he'd narrowly missed at least one of them. His furious eyes found them through the classrooms, smoke puffing from his nostrils like a dragon. Kadin went pale and made a break for the door, pulling Dani's arm to follow him. Zac picked up one of his fallen daggers and, with the speed of Hermes himself, threw the weapon in their direction. The blade spun through the air and pierced the young boy's calf. He dropped in a heap, screaming in pain, clutching his leg. Dani fell to his side, dragged down with him, staring wide eyes at his bleeding wound. He told her to keep running but she was too terrified to move, barely managing to pull him behind the nearest balcony of frosted glass. She heard the angry young-man-turned-monster scream angrily in an unholy howl.</p><p>
  <em>This cannot be happening!</em>
</p><p>Downstairs Freya heard the same commotion Jack could, the screams and cries echoing from the first floor landing. She paused in her spell to look at the frantic young man behind her. He was worried. He was beside himself. His feet kept shuffling desperate to move. He turned back sharply, sensing her eyes on him. His expression was one of pain. "I'm sorry" he whispered, involuntarily taking a half step backwards.</p><p>Her eyes stayed locked to his as a sickening feeling rose in her stomach. She could tell he didn't want to, but he was going to abandon her. He was going to leave her alone to try and save the mortals. To save his friends. Marcus voice rang in her head; <em>they are not our responsibility Freya. By sealing the breach we are saving an entire realm. That's more important than the lives of a few</em>. She nearly opened her mouth to repeat his words. She couldn't. She felt like she was going to vomit. She had been on the opposite side of this position, forced to stand by and listen while people died around her. She had to watch the slaughter from the side lines. All for the greater good. She couldn't leave her position. She had to close the breach. She <em>needed</em> Jack to watch her back. She glanced up at the balcony where the screams were coming from. It felt selfish but she didn't know if she could do this on her own.</p><p>But when she looked back at Jack's face she realised she couldn't stop him even if she tried. He couldn't just let them die. He had to try. She felt her gut tighten when she admitted to herself she couldn't do it either. Every time Marcus told her no she felt like a monster obeying him. She didn't want to be that person anymore. She couldn't ask Jack to do that either. "Go" she whispered to him in a quiet voice. Her voice sounded like her own, not mimicking Marcus. The moment the word left her lips she knew it was right. "Go!"</p><p>Jack hesitated a moment longer, looking between her and the balcony. She nodded, wishing him luck with a smile. "I'm sorry" he whispered apologetically as he shuffled backwards, turning around and sprinting towards the nearest set of stairs to find his friends.</p><p>Freya watched him run off. She suddenly didn't feel abandoned. He wasn't leaving her, he was protecting his friends. Which meant he'll be back. She turned back to face the breach, taking a deep, confident breath, returning to her spell. She could feel Marcus watching over her, his disapproving scowl on his face.</p><p>"I'm sorry Marcus" she muttered under her breath, standing up to him for the first time in years, even if it was just in her head and heart. "I'm sorry. But this time you're wrong!"</p>
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<a name="section0045"><h2>45. Chapter 45</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>41</p><p>Kassie knelt beside Daniel, frantically shaking him, begging him to get up. Ajay was trying to convince her to leave and run, but she wouldn't abandon him. Across the floor, Dani was pressing her hands to Kadin's wound, blood pooling through her fingers covering her forearms after the boy had been stupid enough to just pull the dagger out. He was sitting upright but speaking in a sleepy voice. He was losing too much blood. She was whispering constantly, trying to keep him awake, desperately forcing herself to focus on his condition rather than freaking out.</p><p>Zachery exhaled a large cloud of smoke, picking up the second dagger, alternating his gaze in both directions. "Nobody fucking leaves!" he shouted, his feet walking in the direction of the sobbing blonde hovering over the bearded tall man. She looked up and found him standing in the doorway beside the shattered window, his menacing gaze staring down at her. "I'm going to make you pay for everything, and I'm going to make it slow and painful. But first I'm going to skin this fool alive." She shook her head desperately, pleading with him to just leave them be. Ajay backed away from the black figure, leaving Kassie where she was and fleeing through the nearby door to duck behind the wall. Zac crept forward into the classroom, relishing the expression of horror and fear in the girl's face as she knelt beside the unconscious body. He adjusted the dagger in his hand, picturing the precise method he intended cut into the tall figure, hoping he would wake up for the experience. "Pray for him if you'd like" he suggested, seeing Kassie's cross hanging from her neck. "But no god is going to help him now."</p><p>"HELMSLEY!"</p><p>The sound of the familiar voice made everyone freeze, their expressions uniting in a look of doubt and disbelief. Zac narrowed his gaze and turned back to peer out of the classroom, forgetting his plot to brutally murder Daniel Bornar and the others. Kassie watched him walk away silently, frozen in shock following his gaze. The others lifted their heads inquisitively, peering towards the source of the voice. The only one who had a clear view of the source was Dani, whose gaze widened in denial seeing a ghost standing in the doorway of the corridor.</p><p>Jackson White had just jumped over a police woman's body and entered the first floor, scanning the rooms until he caught sight of the dark figure hovering several meters away. He called out without hesitation, stopping him from whatever violent action he was planning. He came to a stop several feet inside, sword held tightly in his hand squaring his shoulders, praying he didn't notice the nervous breath he was taking. He watched as the dark figure stepped out of the classroom to stare across at him, orange eyes blinking uncertainly as if they weren't seeing him. Jack held his breath seeing the twisted monster Zac had turned into. <em>Don't hesitate</em>.</p><p>Zac took a step out into the long stretch of the hall, a direct line of sight to the young man who should be in hospital. It <em>was</em> him. He could tell. He wore the same glasses from that night in the alley, with one lens cracked from hitting the ground. Four long cuts stretched down his cheek. His red hoodie was open to reveal the open wound in his chest, dried blood staining the shirt. He recognised that wound. It was him. "Well, look who decided to come back from the dead" Zac smiled, casually walking forward. The dagger danced in his palm, red scars glowing across his black flesh. His glowing eyes were transfixed on the mortal. "I was worried about you. After I visited you in the hospital, I didn't think you'd wake up in time. I didn't want you miss this. I am so glad…" His voice suddenly caught in his throat. His senses twitched as he sniffed the air. He caught his scent. Something was different. He smelt wrong. "What are you?" he asked, narrowing his gaze.</p><p>"I could ask you the same thing" Jack replied staring back at him. He looked at his black skin and red scars, the previously clouded eye now a burning fireball in his skull. He looked terrifying. But Jack had seen worse. He risked a glance around the room, placing his friends and checking they were alright. He found Danielle hiding behind a balcony, her gaze panicked and confused staring back at him. He could see Kadin next to her, but his head was droopy like he was unconscious. There was blood. He prayed it wasn't too serious. He didn't say anything, quietly gesturing with his free hand for her to stay hidden. She nodded in understanding, turning back to the sleeping body. He couldn't see the others just yet so he kept moving forward, keeping Zac's attention on him. "What have you done to yourself?" he asked.</p><p>Zac glanced down at his transformed body, snapping back with a shrug. "I've claimed what was promised to me. I am more powerful then you can imagine."</p><p>"Why are you doing this?" Jack continued, walking forward slowly, eyes darting around trying to find the others. "Opening the portal to let those demons through? Killing all these people?"</p><p>"They deserved it!" Zac snapped, voice full of anger. "After everything they've done, they deserved to die?"</p><p>"What did they do?" Jack snapped back. He saw the boy hesitate. Just like every other time he asked that question. Two years of his life arguing the same argument. "They've done nothing wrong. You are murdering innocent people. And for what? What do you get out of all of this Zac?"</p><p>"I get power" he growled indignantly. "And I get to watch this world burn to ashes. I thought you would understand. I thought you were like me. This world and people like them treat us like we're trash. Less than trash. They look down on us from their comfortable, privileged houses and fancy cars dressed in their posh clothes. Meanwhile I had to fight just get to sleep at night. To eat during the day. I suffered while they walked all over me."</p><p>"Your life has been crap and you feel like the whole world is against you" Jack summarised. "Mate, I know exactly how you feel. And so do a hundred other guys out there. You are not the only person who feels like this."</p><p>"You don't know anything!" Zac shouted.</p><p>Jack kept his cool. It was risky antagonising him like this. But it was the only method Jack had ever adopted to try and befriend him. He didn't walk on eggshells whenever Zachery lost his temper because he understood why he was angry. It's why he wanted to break through to him. Jack shared his anger. He felt like the world was against him too. Like he was alone. The difference between him and Zac was while Zac blamed everyone around him for how crap his life was, Jack blamed himself believing it was his own fault and he should've made better choices. So when he talked to Zac, he didn't mince his words. He treated him like an equal and gave it to him straight, told him he was an idiot, hoping to make him realise he couldn't take his anger out of everyone else. They didn't deserve it. It almost always lead to a confrontation that resulted in him lashing out at Jack instead. That's what he was counting on right now. As long as he was focused on him he wasn't hurting his friends.</p><p>Jack took a few more steps forward and came into view of the classroom Zac had stepped out of. He saw Ajay poking his head out from behind the far window. <em>At least he was okay.</em> Then he saw Kassie, knelt over an unconscious Daniel, and his heart skipped a beat. His palms got sweaty as he looked at her from across the corridor, her blonde hair falling over her face, her sparking grey eyes looking up to see him. Her expression was one of disbelief, her cheeks glistening from the sunlight coming from the window. Their eyes locked and it felt like time froze around them. It felt like forever since Jackson saw her last. He wanted to run over and lift her up into a hug and tell her how much he missed her. But he couldn't. Not yet. He pried his gaze away and returned his attention back to the task at hand. <em>She's okay. As long as she's okay nothing else matters.</em> "So what?" Jack asked, focusing on the frustrated young man in front of him, making sure he was looking back at him. "You made a deal with the devil and become his puppet? His servant?"</p><p>"No! You don't know what you're talking about" he said defensively.</p><p>"You think Marchosias is just going to partner up with a mortal like you?" Jack challenged. "He wants to wipe humanity off the face of the earth. You don't think sooner or later he's just going to kill you too?"</p><p>"He promised I would stand by his side!"</p><p>"To burn the world to dust? He has an army for that. He is powerful enough to slaughter everyone all on his own. You are just someone he needed to open the door between worlds. Now that you've done that he doesn't need you. You're just another worthless ant underneath his boot."</p><p>"SHUT UP!" Zac bellowed charging forward, arm swinging out bringing the dagger through the air to stab into Jackson's chest.</p><p>Jack, for once in his life, was prepared for this fight, his reflexes snapping to attention blocking the dagger with his sword. The blades deflected, sending him back a few steps, but saved his chest from impalement. Zac followed up immediately, lashing out furiously without rhyme or reason. Just as well, because Jackson had no experience in how to fight. No technique or finesse. But he was quick enough to keep blocking and dodging out the way until Zac left an opening in his side. Jack sidestepped a vicious lunge and quickly swung his sword up to cut into his side, hoping it would be able to drop Helmsley without killing him.</p><p>He was wrong. The sword suddenly bounced off his skin like it was made of iron. <em>What?</em></p><p>Zac spun around, realising Jack had struck him, his eyes glaring throwing himself at the startled boy aggressively. Jack stumbled back against the wall, momentarily stunned, looking at the blade that didn't make a dent in his opponent's flesh. <em>What kind of dainty sword did Azrael give me?</em> He dodged another stab of the dagger and countered with a left hook. His knuckles hit Zac in the face and immediately bruised, feeling like he'd just struck a brick wall. "Ow! What the hell?" he hissed shaking his hand mumbling the pain.</p><p>"Nothing can hurt me anymore" Zac explained, grabbing Jack by the jacket and throwing him to the side, sending him sprawling. The sword clattered out of his hand, sliding across the floor out of reach. Zac was standing over Jackson as he struggled to pick himself up, gasping for breath after the wind was knocked out of him. "My master gave me the strength to destroy everyone on this planet. You thought you could stand in my way again? You're just like the rest of them. And I'm going to make you pay!"</p><p>His proclamation was interrupted by a blast of Hellfire as Jack twisted his body around and opened his palm. The brand ignited and he directed the projectile at Zac, hitting him square in the chest, the impact throwing him across the room. He scrambled to his feet shocked and angry, his black chest smoking but untouched by the fire, glaring back in his opponent's direction. "How?" he asked under his breath.</p><p>Jack stood back up taking a deep breath as the brand glowed in his right palm. "I won't let you hurt anyone else" he told him, clenching his fist surrounding it in flickering flames.</p><p>As Zac regained his stance he screamed in a battle cry, charging back holding his dagger aloft. Jack sprinted to meet him, leaping with his own charged fist raised, bringing down a hellfire punch to meet him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0046"><h2>46. Chapter 46</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>42</p><p>Freya could hear the battle on the opposite side of the gateway. She could hear the shouting and raised voices from the first floor behind her. She could sense the fear and terror from outside. <em>Focus on the job and nothing else,</em> she told herself as she frantically drew her runes and whispered her spells. The spear hummed in front of her, glowing with yellow light, keeping the breach locked while she worked. The clock ticked inside her head.</p><p><em>Focus on the job and nothing else</em>.</p><p>The air suddenly tingled behind Freya's head, the hair on the back of her neck standing up, her pendant growing warm. She dropped into a crouch narrowly missing a jet of flame, rolling away as the red hot fire hit the shimmering barrier surrounding the breach. She checked her wings, the grey feathers slightly singed but otherwise intact. She turned her head to find a pack of demons approaching several feet away. Their master stood behind them. "Impressive reflexes, little angel" Marchosias said, his eyes fixed on her like two glowing orbs of hate. "So, you are the one who's been interfering in my plans. Are you responsible for my Vanguard's disappearance?"</p><p>"That creep had it coming" she spat back, standing before the dark lord bravely. She wasn't afraid of the massive wolf-griffin-snake hybrid. She was more worried about not being able to close the breach. She did some quick thinking and came up with an idea, but she wasn't sure if it would work. She'd never done it before.</p><p>"Such a shame" Marchosias said. "He was a loyal warrior. Loyalty is difficult to find. Speaking of which" he grinned tauntingly. "My condolences for your loss."</p><p>"He's not dead" she told him smirking.</p><p>"Not yet? But he is dying. My sources weren't wrong. Otherwise I would never had gotten this far. Where is the grim reaper little girl? Because without him, you cannot stop me or my legions. You've already failed."</p><p>She swallowed back her guilt and fear. He was right. She couldn't beat him by herself. But she wasn't supposed to. Her job was the portal. "Don't be so sure" she mocked, spinning back to hold her hand up to the silver head of her spear. "Channel demon energy and close the gateway!" The spell triggered a cycle of runes and energy, syphoning the excess energy escaping through the breach into the spear, converting it into angelic power that reached back and began knitting the fabric of reality back together. It was a risky spell, usually requires converting the user's own life force to operate. But Freya had read about an effective work around that negated that cost.</p><p>Marchosias snarled, seeing her magic unfold, his army cut off from him. "Rather an advanced spell for one so young isn't it?" he growled. Freya didn't know if he was impressed or infuriated. The angry look in his eyes indicated a bit of both.</p><p>She stood between him and the portal, reaching behind her back and taking hold of two silver hilts, twin short swords springing out as she drew her backup weapons. The sharp metal glinted against her wings, which spread aggressively either side of her. "I read a lot" she quipped, feeling rather confident standing behind her joke. "You're not much of a king without an army."</p><p>He snapped angrily, reacting predictably to her taunt, flames flickering in his throat as he barked orders to his minions. "Kill her!"</p><p>The demons ran forward, gleefully eager to rip into the fresh meat. She stood her ground waiting for them to come to her, holding tight to the swords, slashing out to the nearest creature cutting its arm and head off. All she had to do was keep them at bay long enough to let the spell close the portal.</p><p>
  <em>Focus on the job and nothing else.</em>
</p><p>The two university students clashed over and over, Hellfire exploding each time Jack hit him with his right fist. He dodged out of the way every time Zac slashed with his dagger, blocking and kicking when he wasn't thrown against the wall or knocked to the floor. The fight was brutal and intense. Zac's tough skin made each hit feel like stone. If Jack wasn't a remnant, which gave him improved endurance and strength, he would probably be paste by now. "You don't need to do this Zac" Jack said, using the brief moments between clashes to keep talking. Keep him off balance. Keep his attention on him. "I get it. I know why you think you want to do this."</p><p>"You don't know anything!" Zac snapped, lunging forward at him once again.</p><p>This time Jack got lucky, finding an opening to hit him square in the chest. Jack took it, bending his knees and pushing forward, putting his weight against his opponent. It sent Zac sprawling over a table onto the floor, the dagger falling out his hand. Jack kicked it away before he could get back up, glancing across the room to see Kassie still knelt over Daniels body. He took a step forward and saw the boy was still breathing, groaning faintly. He was still alive. He heard Zac snarl behind his ear, turning too late to feel his hands on his jacket, dragging him back to the floor. They struggled over the tables, kicking wildly at each other. Jack was the first to get his foot underneath his opponent, shoving him off with all his strength. He hit the far window, cracking it with the back of his skull. Jack followed up with another punch, but he dived to the right causing him to crash into the weakened glass shattering it. Jack cried out as shards of glass cut into his arm and shoulder, his momentum sending him tumbling into the classroom slicing his midsection.</p><p>"You think you're so much better than me, don't you?" Zac growled stepping into the room via the door. "You're just like the rest of them! Looking down on me like I'm worthless!"</p><p>Jack rolled onto his front to push up to his hands and knees. Zac immediately kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, sending him skidding across the floor hitting a nearby table. His palm lit up with fire again. But when he saw the piles of portfolios and paperwork next to him, he hesitated. The whole world was at stake, but he couldn't just burn down everyone's coursework for the year. It didn't seem fair. He extinguished the flames and pulled himself up to his feet to face the furious boy. "You're not worthless!" He told him. "I spent a long time telling myself that. Convincing myself I was better off gone. That nobody would miss me."</p><p>"Is this the part where you tell me you tried to kill yourself too?" Zac scoffed. He saw him blink in surprise, caught off guard. He lunged, grabbing at him.</p><p>Jack instinctively fired a beam or hellfire at him but Zac caught his wrist, misdirecting the jet around them cutting through the walls and ceiling. Glass outside burst and walls smouldered. Dani screamed having to duck over Kadin's unconscious body to avoid losing her head. It took all of Jack's strength to keep it from torching the submissions before he just extinguished the beam and head butted Zac in the face. He might has well head butted a brick wall. "What do you mean tried?" he asked, stumbling backwards rubbing his forehead. <em>Never doing that again.</em></p><p>"You didn't know?" he asked. "Of course you didn't. No one noticed. Nobody cared that I skipped lectures one day to slit my wrists in my apartment. I didn't try. I died. That's when I found my new master. A drunken accident and sacrifice of blood and I made contact with the true rulers of humanity."</p><p>"I didn't know" Jack protested blocking his punches, still dazed from hitting his head, leaving him vulnerable to a few powerful strikes that sent him back. "I should've known. I've been where you were. On the edge, thinking about ending it. But I had something to stop me."</p><p>"Like Kassie L'amalhe?" He scowled. Jack predictably paused. "I see things. I always have. I see how you always follow her around like a little puppy dog. I see how you stare at her like a lovesick child. It makes me want to vomit. I didn't have that. I didn't want it. Love doesn't exist for people like us. But you and I are not the same. I thought we were, but I was wrong."</p><p>"Not the same. But we are alike" he argued.</p><p>"WE ARE NOT! It took the cleaning lady seven hours to find me. I was only alive because my new master allowed it, to carry out our plan. You were killed in a fucking alley, and within thirty minutes the whole city knew about it." He lashed out with a heavy kick to Jack's midsection, sending him flying through a pair of double doors out of the classroom into the study area.</p><p>Tables clattered and toppled as he sprawled to the floor. He gasped for air struggling to sit up. He saw Dani hiding behind one of the doors pressed against the glass balcony, her arms covered in blood. She looked terrified. He put a finger to his lips as Zac marched forward through the broken doorframe. His orange gaze found the second dagger on the ground by his feet and smiled. "I'll let you in on a secret, Jackson" he said quietly, crouching down to pick up the weapon. Jack was too busy scrambling to his feet, climbing up the toppled tables to really pay attention. "I never really cared for you. You were more of an annoyance. But Kassie… She embodied everything I hate in this world. False kindness. Fake compassion. All to fulfil a selfish pride and high standing. People like her treated me worse than my own parents. I didn't need her pity when she offered it. She disgusts me."</p><p>Jack felt the heat rise behind his eyes, the brand glowing in his hand. He always hated it when people talk badly about the people he cared about. But hearing it about the person he cared about most, from someone as twisted as Zachery, made his blood boil over. It gave him the strength to push up to a standing position leaning on a table.</p><p>"It should've been her that day" he continued. "I should've killed you both, instead of following you all the way to the middle of town."</p><p>Jack's breath caught in his throat, his pulse skipping a few beats, slowly looking up at him. <em>It should've been her that day?</em> His words conjured memories of the last time Jack spoke to Kassie, bidding her goodnight and watching her enter her building. They retraced his steps to the alley where the hooded figure attacked him. But now those flashes seemed to clear, and Jack saw the pale skin and clouded eye among the features embroiled in his mind. A part of the picture he couldn't seem to find until right now. <em>I should've killed you both.</em> "You?" Jack whispered staring at the black skinned, red scared young man walking confidently towards him, staring at the pale skinned face with one good eye grinning maniacally back at him.</p><p>He nodded smiling. <em>Me.</em></p><p>And then the dagger was plunged into his chest.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0047"><h2>47. Chapter 47</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>43</p><p>The demons swarmed the barricade of spectres and wraiths, hacking and slashing wildly. There was no coordination or strategy, just overwhelming numbers and power. Azrael had spent many lifetimes dealing with these kind of opponents. He liked the predictable nature of the demons. It let him organise his own troops to counter them, using his centuries of tactics and instincts to hold them at bay. It was a temporary measure however. His wraiths were formidable, thousands of years of experience from hundreds of ages and eras in human history. They held their own under his leadership, pushing back wave after wave of demons advancing upon them. But for every wave they defeated, they lost one or more of their own. A lucky swing. An unfortunate stroke of luck. A demon would cut into a soldier's chest or throat, catch their heads and crush them in their palms. Azrael watched as his men were killed one by one, their bodies fading away to re-join the Well of Souls where they will eventually be reborn to continue their service. The rebirth will take too long. This battle will be over long before reinforcements arrive.</p><p>He pulled his sword out of the corpse of the demon lieutenant. He cut this being down to keep him from coordinating his forces, buying them a few more minutes. A few more minutes for the portal behind him to close. He turned around to examine the breach hovering at their heels, the gateway to the mortal world. The door was locked thanks to Freya's magic, a strong barrier that would keep the demons at bay in case they broke through his defence. He could see the edges of the portal knitting back together, but it was slow. "Come on kid!" he called through the doorway, turning back to the onslaught rushing him. "What's taking you so long?"</p><p>"I'm working on it!" Freya called back, her focus rather preoccupied. It was taking all of her skill and talent and training to stand her ground on the opposite side of the portal. Azrael was fighting against an army. She was fighting against the Dark Lord and six of his minions. Azrael had his wraiths by his side. She was on her own.</p><p>The demons fighting the young angel weren't the usual drones either. They were Marchosias' personal guard. Two berserker warriors brandishing battle axes and four snarling hound creatures with wide jaws covering their heads. The large wolf-hybrid stood back, watching with amusement as his minions surrounded the girl, slashing and stabbing at her like they were toying with her. She ducked and blocked and cut with her swords, kicking them back and swatting them with her wings. Black blood sprayed from each wound she managed to cut out of their flesh, but they continued to attack. She was forced to keep moving, keeping on the defensive. She tried to leap into the air for a natural advantage but the warriors were able to catch her ankle, yanking her back to the ground. She rolled away from an axe swing, tucking her wings in and then throwing them out, knocking the demons back granting her some breathing room. She inhaled sharply looking up at the group, keeping her back to the glowing spear channelling the magic. She had scratches over her arms and legs, a cut on her lip from where a berserker got a punch in. Feathers dotted the ground from where her wings were damaged. Not damaged enough to prohibit her yet. But each time a blade or claw caught them, it felt like someone had taken a hot iron to her body.</p><p>Marchosias was impressed she lasted this long, watching one of the hounds scurry towards her snarling. Its claws reached out and dug into her thigh, making her scream before a pair of silver blades stabbed down into the top of its skull. One demon killed. Five more circling her. Six if you count the Dark Lord growing bored of being a witness. She looked up at him and saw the heat building in his throat, opening his maw unleashing a jet of red flames. She threw her arms up in a cross, bracing together against the fire shielding her body. Yellow magic swirled in front of her blocking the flames, the force pushing her, sliding back on her heels. She scrunched her eyes shut from the glare, the heat tickling her skin generating sweat, her blonde hair bellowing behind her. When the flames dispersed she hesitated to lower her arms, afraid to lower her shield in case there was a follow up.</p><p>There was, but not from the front. She saw it too late, glancing back to see the demons flanking her, using the distraction to hit her from behind. A set of jaws latched around her leg, teeth puncturing her flesh sending her to the ground. A set of sharp claws cut through her back, tearing her outfit and piercing her skin, cutting her wings. She screamed in pain, falling the floor.</p><p>Marcus watched from the Well, seeing everything unfold from the observation deck, the images swirling around him. He saw the legions advancing on Azrael and his forces, overwhelming them slowly. He witnessed Freya topple at Marchosias' feet, hearing his laugh as he looked down at her. He even saw Jackson's fight with Zachery Helmsley, separate from everything else. They were losing.</p><p>
  <em>They need me out there! They need the reaper!</em>
</p><p>Marcus gripped his wheelchair staring out into creation, his knuckles white practically crushing the armrests. He took a deep breath. Damn his condition! He needed to be out there. If he was going to die, he'll die doing his job. Not stuck in a goddamn wheelchair. But then his chest tightened, the infection spreading out of the wound in his chest. He began heaving and coughing more aggressively, clutching at his chest while trying to push himself back to his room or the Soul Bridge. The fit grew more intense, blood spraying from his mouth, retching his forward tipping the wheelchair over sending him sprawling to the floor. He gasped for breath, crawling weakly along the ground, dragging himself forward.</p><p>
  <em>They need me out there!</em>
</p><p>He kept moving for a very long and painful minute, still coughing and heaving until his strength finally gave up and he rolled onto his back. He heaved and retched for breath, reaching out with his hand to empty air. He called out with his mind, his soul, begging for it to respond.</p><p>Somewhere in the labyrinth of corridors, a scythe twitched against the wall of his bedroom. The weapon that had served Marcus so faithfully for decade now sat silent and alone, separated from its wielder. Marcus called but it didn't answer. He didn't have the strength anymore. It couldn't reach him.</p><p>"I'm sorry" he whispered sadly, tears in his eyes, as he stared up to the glistening stars of the cosmos, the multiverse staring back at him. He spoke to the entity that he served, who had served as his patron for so long. "I've failed you."</p><p>Many miles away from the battle in a hospital ward, a little girl with white hair could hear Marcus fading away, his apologies calling across creation. She closed her eyes, offering a moment of sad prayer. Marcus was a good man at heart, if not always out loud.</p><p>Opening her eyes she looked up through the double doors, where a white coated doctor conversed quietly with two very distraught people over a hospital bed. The building was far enough away that none of the inhabitants were aware of the gruesome spectacle unfolding many miles away at the university. But here and now there was a more heart-breaking conversation being had with Mr and Mrs White. The condition of their son. The doctor explained, in a professional manner, that there had been no improvement since the surgery. There was no longer any registerable brain activity. The only thing keeping their son alive were the life support machines he was hooked up to. It was therefore his recommendation at the distraught parents would have to make a choice. The two of them looked at one another with tears in their eyes, their other two children waiting at the other end of the room watching with worried expressions. They were old enough to understand what was happening, as they too feel into despair. Jackson's mother sat beside his bed sobbing, accepting this was how it was. Her little boy was gone. His soul was gone.</p><p>The little girl felt their pain, but her expression remained calm. She understood more they ever could. She held the leather black hat on her lap, brushing her small fingers across it absently. To anyone who walked past she was just an 8 year old girl playing with a hat, dressed in a plain dress with her bare feet hovering off the ground as she sat patiently in the corridor.</p><p>But behind her big round eyes she was somewhere else, patiently waiting full of hope and promise. There was still time to make the right choice.</p>
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<a name="section0048"><h2>48. Chapter 48</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>44</p><p>Jack stared down at the dagger as it punctured his gut. Zac's hand held the blade tightly, twisting it deeper. He didn't feel any pain. Not like when he was stabbed in the alley. This time it felt different. This time he knew who had killed him.</p><p>Everything played out in slow motion in his head. That moment in the alley overlapped this moment here. He saw Zac underneath the hood as he lunged out of the darkness, his face crystal clear as the knife cut into his chest. The wound bled as the dagger was yanked out, blood covering the blade as Jackson collapsed to his knees. He felt the air leave his lungs and the life spill out on the floor, his arms failing to hold him up. Zac watched as he fell to the ground, feeling a strong sense of pride as he watched the young man fall at his feet, struggling for breath while blood pooled underneath him. He recalled the satisfying moment when he watched the life drain from his eyes the first time. The same feeling he experienced when he murdered his father. When he butchered that police officer. Each moment was more glorious than the last. He crouched over the dying mortal, the heat from his eyes bearing down on the back of Jack's neck. "Feel familiar?"</p><p>"Why?" Jack muttered, twisting his neck to look up at him. He'd been asking that question ever since he was killed. Finally, he had someone to ask.</p><p>"Why not?" he replied. "It's true what they say though. Second time is easier." He leant closer and hissed in his ear, "You claim to understand what I went through when I slit my wrists? Maybe this time you can just give up and die. I'm getting sick of having to deal with you." He stood up, giving him one last disgusted scowl, shoving Jack to the ground with his foot. He grunted in pain, collapsing onto his face, his vision blurry seeing him walk away out of the corner of his eye. White noise filled his ears as he lost feeling in his body, everything draining out of him, leaving him lifeless on the floor. He was dying. Again! And this time there was no coming back.</p><p>
  <em>I'm not the one you think I am?</em>
</p><p>His life flashed before his eyes once more. Not like when he stood in the Court of Judges. This time it was like snapshots of moments. He saw the day he died. He saw himself sitting on the balcony of the overpass yesterday. He saw his last walk with Kassie. The last time he said goodbye to his family. His last movie. His last conversation. The last time he visited his best friend Troy. The last time he stood on the Viaduct in Ilkeston, looking down at the concrete below, wondering if this should be the day he jumps.</p><p>But then the memories of the last few days flashed before him. And instead of regret and despair, they brought a sense of hope. He relived the moment he woke up in the afterlife, looking up at the landscape seeing the floating echoes of Derby around him, the faint hints of other realms in the distance. He remembered the feeling of wonder when he stood in the Well of Souls, looking up at the multiverse and the vision of creation itself. So many worlds. So many universes. People speak about how understanding our place in the universe makes us so small. But Jack didn't feel small. He felt privileged. He was a part of something so beautiful and never realised it. After so long stuck in his own little bubble, he was literally exploring new places. Even if almost everything he came across was trying to kill him. Whenever he was running for his life, a part of him felt like it was the only time he was actually alive. Quite a paradox; he had to die to feel alive. He replayed the first time he met Azrael and his terrifying expression. He remembered his first meeting with Freya, waking up in her room to be greeted by her kind smile. His first meeting with Marcus and their talks. Every moment, every fight, every conversation and every view flashed before him. He saw the demons in limbo. The spider he killed. The discovery that Freya was an angel. The Vanguard in Derby. The vortex beneath the floating fortress. Marchosias and his army. Azrael leading him to his body in hospital. His talk with Freya afterward. Their voices filled his mind, lifting him out of the darkness that always hung over him. The darkness that whispered in his ear every night and every day, pushing him towards that viaduct, telling him to jump. He replayed that moment before the battle, how he reassured a terrified Freya, hearing his words spoken back to him.</p><p>
  <em>It's okay to admit that you're scared. We hesitate so that we can remind ourselves of what we're fighting for.</em>
</p><p>Jackson opened his eyes and looked up, the brightly lit room revealing itself to him once more. He saw the memories of this room as he took his first steps inside. Meeting his friends, one by one, one after the other. Daniel, Danielle, Kadin, Ajay, Kassie, so many others. His tutors, his fellow students, and people he barely spoke to but remembered anyway. Fast forward to the day he died, sitting at the table waiting to go out for the afternoon. He remembered how distracted he was, the darkness nibbling at his heels. Now he saw Zac standing in his place, his attention turned to the broken door hanging off the frame hiding Dani and an unconscious Kadin behind it. Jack looked across to them, tension building in his chest.</p><p>
  <em>Fear reminds us what we have to fight for.</em>
</p><p>Every time the darkness almost took him over he found a single light to hold on to and guide him back. For years, Kassie was that light. The girl he loved. Now that beacon grew brighter with the faces of, not just her, everyone else he cared for. His friends and family. Freya and Azrael. They were in danger if Zac and Marchosias wins. Maybe he could stop them. He had to try. Drawing in the strength he had left, Jack clenched his fists, grit his teeth, and pushed himself to his feet.</p><p>"Now, where were we?" Zachery mused, pulling the door aside, throwing it to the ground, revealing the hiding wide-eyed younger student kneeling beside her bleeding friend. She looked up in horror as he presented his blood soaked dagger, his grin cutting from cheek to cheek.</p><p>"Helmsley!"</p><p>Jackson's voice brought a sigh of irritation, exhaling smoke, from his nose. "How many times do I need to kill you?" he groaned as he turned back, only to be met with a surprise haymaker across his jaw. The punch hit him in an explosion of Hellfire, cracking against his iron-like black skin, hard enough to send him stumbling back. His orange eyes blinked in shock catching his balance, looking up to see Jackson charging at him, slamming him into the door frame. He stared at the reckless mortal, amazed he found the strength to keep standing let alone strike him. He broke his arm free and shoved him back to the far wall, stabbing into his shoulder making him cry out. Jack ignored the pain, fixing his glare on Zac, bracing against his weight. He grabbed his other hand as he swung up to punch him, the brand burning into the tough flesh until he screamed in pain. He followed up with a desperate head-butt, knocking him back, the dagger still in his grasp leaving another bloody wound. This time he didn't collapse, catching his second wind to block the next furious swing and fire a blast out of his palm, throwing him off his feet. Zac flew backwards into the side hallway, smashing into the wall, the dagger falling from his hand.</p><p>He rose to his feet shaking the disorientation. He wasn't expecting Jack to come back so hard. If at all. He turned to see him stumbling forward, stab wounds in his shoulder, chest and gut. None of them hindering his progress as he engaged the stronger individual. Zac clashed with him, punching and kicking wildly with all his might. Jack suffered the whole onslaught, but did back down. It felt like he was fighting with more than just his life. Something was holding him together, keeping him upright so he wouldn't collapse. Zac believed he was protected too. He had the power and strength. Nothing could hurt him anymore. Nobody could stop him. A powerful right hook smashed into the side of Jack's skull, knocking him to the ground. He fell to one knee spitting out blood, his right hand finding the handle of the weapon on the ground. He sensed Zac winding back to deliver another right hook, intending to split his skull open. He moved on instinct, finding a rhythm of his own, spinning on his heel bringing the dagger around, trapped tightly in his fist. Hellfire magic from the brand infused the blade with energy, making it shimmer as the blade struck his opponent in the stomach.</p><p>The battle froze when the dagger pierced his impenetrable skin.</p><p>Zac felt the weapon stab into his body, a look of disbelief materialising on his face as he glanced down to the wound. Jack barely noticed as he pulled it free. Red blood poured out along with a geyser of smoke as Zac stumbled back in shock. His hand pressed against his stomach, his fingers getting coated in his blood. "That's not possible" he muttered, suddenly stuttering. Marchosias had promised nothing could hurt him. He was immortal. "That's not possible" he repeated.</p><p>Jack didn't hear him. He leapt back to his feet and immediately stabbed him again. This time in the chest. He grunted as the blade sank in again. Then again. Then again. Jack lost himself in a dull red haze of anger and fury as he pushed Zac down to the floor, straddling his waist to stab him over and over again. An inhuman cry escaped his throat, all the pain and anger and fear and hatred from the moment of his death to now boiling over to the surface. He hated Zac for taking his life away from him. He hated himself for not being strong enough to live that life in the first place. He unleashed it all upon him in one bloody dose of revenge. When the bloodlust ended he came to a stop, his face speckled with blood and soot as smoke billowed from Zac's wounds. The gift Marchosias' granted him left the boy's body, his black skin reverting to his original pale complexion, the glowing ritual markings dimming back to scars. Zac gurgled and coughed, choking on his own blood, his eyes fading back to normal before clouding over. His body fell still.</p><p>That was the moment Zac Helmsley died.</p><p>Jackson found his breath as he realised what he'd done. The dagger fell out of his hand, clattering to the ground as he stumbled back to his feet, backing away from the body. His hands were covered in blood, along with the front part of his shirt and jacket. He heaved for breath, suddenly feeling sick. He never thought he had the conviction to murder anyone before. He doubled over expecting to be sick, instead met with the aching pain of the wound in his gut and shoulder. He pressed his palms against them, stopping the blood from escaping. But to his shock they had stopped bleeding. He was able to straighten up without any real discomfort. He examined his body, drawn to the familiar wound in his heart. He wasn't sure what it meant. He felt better though.</p><p>Around him, the many conscious eyes looked up to see him standing over Zac's broken and bleeding body. Dani, who had witnessed Jack and Zachery clash in person, hesitantly peered over the balcony to find him quiet and exhausted. Ajay poked his head out from around the end corner suspiciously. Daniel was only just beginning to come back around, but was still sluggish. The fact he was moving was a good sign. Enough to comfort Kassie and let her leave his side so she could hesitantly walk out of the classroom into the open space. She ignored Ajay's warnings to keep hidden, stepping out into the corridor to cautiously approach the bloody scene. Jack looked up to find her standing a couple of metres away staring back at him, a feeling of cold uncertainty as they locked eyes. It was the first time she'd seen him since he died. He wasn't aware that she'd been to visit him in hospital. All he knew was what his heart was screaming to him, telling him to run to her. She was safe. They were together again. He could tell her everything, how he felt and how much he missed her.</p><p>Their moment of reunion was interrupted when Freya's voice echoed from the lobby. Her cry sent a chill down Jack's spine as he turned his head, hearing the pain in her tone. She was in trouble. Left to stand alone against the demons. He'd abandoned her to save his friends. The decision was made with a snap of his heart. He knew what he needed to do. He just didn't want to. He couldn't leave Kassie again. He needed her. He always had. His strength came from her light, chasing away the darkness that haunted him. But if Freya died, it would be his fault. Marchosias would win and his friends would die anyway. He made her a promise.</p><p>"I'm sorry" he said regretfully, looking back at the light of his life, as he took a step back. She stayed silent, appearing confused and conflicted, as he stepped over the body of Zachery, picking up the sword he dropped earlier. He forced himself not to look back as he left the corridor, feeling a sense of determination rising in his chest. He wasn't abandoning any of them. Not now. He was going to save another friend who needed him. Freya needed him.</p><p>He felt a weight lift off his chest as he approached the balcony, looking down to the fight below. The portal grew, preparing to unleash Hell on Earth. For the first time in so long, he felt like he didn't just exist. He felt like he belonged. This is where he was needed. Win or lose, this was what he was meant to do. Save his friends. Save the world.</p><p><em>None of us are every ready</em>, Marcus's voice reminded him. <em>Not until we step up</em>.</p><p>He didn't know if he was ready for this. Fear made him hesitate. It let him remind himself why he was here and what he needed to do. <em>To take a leap of faith.</em> He walked forward and stepped off the ledge.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0049"><h2>49. Chapter 49</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>45</p><p>Marchosias stepped over the young girl crumpled on the ground at his feet, scowling with distaste as she attempted to reach out and latch her fingers to his fur. One of his minions kicked her in the gut for it, causing her to cry out in pain coughing up blood. Her frayed and tattered wings fell uselessly over her body, unable to support themselves, her scratched and bruised skin black and blue covered in blood.</p><p>"Pitiful" he mumbled turning his attention to the gateway she was guarding. Freya could only watch as the dark lord strolled over to the portal, reaching out with one of his claws to pick up the spear that was generating the magic sealing it shut. She tried to draw on the last of her strength, pushing herself up and crawling to her short sword, only for a berserker demon to stomp on her wrist. She cried out as he broke her hand, tears in her eyes, flopping back to the ground. Her voice carried up to the first floor balcony to be heard by her last remaining ally on this plane of existence. "You never stood a chance" Marchosias said, calmly examining the angelic craftsmanship before snapping the shaft in two. The spell dissolved and the portal was once more alive and growing, the magic discarded as the barrier tore open again. "You could never hope to stop me child. You were sent on a suicide mission."</p><p>Freya stared helplessly as the gateway widened, glowing intently as the walls of reality crumbled. The wolf demon stood before it, savouring his victory, leaving her with an inescapable sense of shame and guilt. She had failed once more. She'd failed everyone.</p><p>On the opposite side of the portal, Azrael turned to see the gateway growing to the mortal world wide open. He felt an equal sense of horror and failure. The legions swarming them witnessed this turn of events and roared, their generals pressing them forward, eager to claim the kingdom of man for their own. "Hold the line!" the Angel of Death commanded, bracing shoulder to shoulder with his wraiths, determined to push them back. "No matter what!" he screamed as they were met with a wall of demons. If he was going to die today, let it be in service to the Well of Souls.</p><p>Many miles away, a little girl sat in the hospital corridor staring at her lap, humming quietly to herself in a melody known only a few. In a ward opposite her, Jackson White lay motionless as his family stood over him. They comforted each other, weeping with tears, as the doctors fulfilled their final obligation to their patient. With no change in his condition, and no brain activity registering, there was only one option left to them. With the flick of a switch, the machines pumping his life support came to a halt leaving the steady irregular beeping of his heartbeat. They all watched in silence as the beeping slowed, before finally falling into a continuous fain tone as the boy's heart stopped.</p><p>Freya crawled forward in a weak and vain attempt to keep fighting. She knew it was pointless. Even the demons surrounding her stopped toying with her, standing around her watching her struggle. After a few moments they parted aside as a large shadow fall over her. Hot breath brushed across the back of her neck as the snake tail slithered around her throat, lifting her up into the air, turning her to face the large she-wolf hybrid. "The old man is dead" Marchosias taunted at the weak young angel, her feet dangling off the ground grasping around the limb wrapped tightly around her neck. She sobbed chokingly, staring back at him, her face wet with tears. "There is no reaper coming to save you. I have won" he grinned arrogantly, relishing the look of shame in her expression.</p><p>It was over.</p><p>A floor above him, the brave survivor stepped out to look down at the scene, seeing Freya within the demons grasp and the portal growing behind them. His grip around his sword tightened, the brand in his palm igniting the blade with Hellfire magic. A wave of determination washed over the boy's face, chasing away the inner demons telling him he couldn't do anything. He took a step forward, then another, hopping over the sofa placed beside the balcony like a ramp, before leaping over the side. Taking a leap of faith.</p><p>When he landed, the whole multiverse shook.</p><p>In the heart of creation, Marcus opened his eyes to the sound of the fortress ringing like a bell, tolling the new arrival. He felt the rings vibrate through his body. He understood what it meant. "Of course" he whispered in a knowing sigh. The Judges acknowledged the sign. Across the realms, stars pulsed creating solar flares, like fireworks in celebration. In Marcus's bedroom, his scythe hummed on a frequency of its own. Those who could sense the shift looked up to the heavens, wondering what the sign meant but knowing at the same time. Angels rose their arms to the sky. Demons roared in challenge and glory. Beings from worlds between heaven and hell shivered as if someone had walked over their graves. In the hospital, the flat tone of the heart monitor gave way to a steady rhythm of beeps as the young man in the bed suddenly inhaled a silent breath. The family looked up in shock to find their son and brother returned to life, letting out a cry of relief while doctors quickly examined him in disbelief. They called it a miracle. In the corridor outside, the little girl lifted her head and smiled.</p><p>Marchosias felt the tremor as the figure landed in a crouch, turning his head to face the boy. Freya twisted her head to follow his gaze, staring in surprise as Jackson White lifted his gaze to face them with a determined glare. "Let her go" he growled, rising slowly to stand before them inside a web of cracks along the floor.</p><p>The Dark Lord regarded this figure with a moment of appraisal, tossing the angel aside like a ragdoll. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. The demons ignored her, shaping up the fresh meat. "And who are you mortal?" Marchosias asked.</p><p>"It doesn't matter who I am" Jack replied, taking his sword in both hands and squaring up to the demons. "All that matters is I won't let you hurt anyone else I care about."</p><p>Marchosias chuckled, admiring the bravado in his voice. "Kill him."</p><p>The demons ran forward, snarling and snapping, rushing the boy at the command of their master. Jack calmly exhaled stepping forward, his sword before him ready to swing. He didn't hesitate as the first demon lunged at him. The blade cut through its neck decapitating it, sending its body sprawling to the ground. The magic running through the blade set it alight and it turned to ash. The rest barrelled forward regardless, except for the berserkers who slowed to re-evaluate the threat. Jack focused on the mindless beasts first, dodging their swipes and stabbing with his sword. Marchosias narrowed his red eyes as he watched the boy weave and spin and hack the demons apart. It wasn't refined. The movements of a frantic and aggressive mortal. But the power running through the sword was strong. One of the demons caught Jack by the shin, making him cry out. He responded with a swift punch to its skull, hellfire making it explode. The Dark Lord growled. No mortal should have had magic that powerful.</p><p>The berserkers moved in after Jack dispatched the last of the beasts, flanking him either side with their axes raised. He looked at each of them in turn, tucking into a roll as the first swung down at him. He sprung up and fired a blast of fire from his hand, throwing the demon aside before blocking the second with his sword. Freya watched Jack fight the demons with a look of awe. He was knocked to the ground by a furious tackle from the first warrior, kicking him back and stabbing his through the stomach. The demon exploded with a burst of Hellfire, showering the boy with ash. He blinked the soot from his eyes and looked up, only to see a growling set of fangs staring at him.</p><p>Marchosias leapt at the mortal, throwing his body down upon him. Jack fell back onto the floor, staring up at the massive jaws lunging towards him. He instinctively shot his right fist up to punch him in the snout, meeting it halfway and rocking the wolf back with a snarl. He scrambled out from under him, but the snake tail caught his ankle, whipping the boy into a wall shaking the hallway. The sword flew across the room. Jack gasped for air, picking himself up. He braced against the charge of the remaining berserker, grunting as they struck the wall. His wounds reopened leaking blood from his shoulder, chest, gut and cheek. He ignored the pain, grabbing the demon with his palm, scorching the brand into its skull where it screamed in agony.</p><p>They both turned to face the sudden angry howl of Marchosias as he unleashed a massive jet of flames towards them. Jack held up his hand protectively while the demon turned to dust in front of him. The brand created a protective barrier around him, shielding him from the assault as Jack braced against the heat. Marchosias continued the stream with furious intent, his eyes blazing red, digging his paws and claws into the floor. Jack felt his heels skid along the ground, glaring through his cracked glasses at the wall of fire engulfing his barrier. He glanced across to see Freya pushing herself up the far wall, watching with wide eyes. He found a new surge of strength, pushing forward through the flames shouting a battle cry. Marchosias was ready, snapping his jaws shut and swiping at him with his claws and wings, the tail whipping around to lash out at the irritating mortal. Jack suffered a gash in his side and a heavy thump to his shoulder, forcing him to his knee. Jack had no sword. No weapons. The Hellfire brand wasn't enough against someone this powerful.</p><p>
  <em>Remember why you're doing this. Don't give up now.</em>
</p><p>He sprung back to his feet, punching and dodging, firing blasts of fire at the nimble and brutal demon lord. Marchosias got more and more frustrated. He snapped his jaws, stomped his paws, swiping and snarling at the boy who was trying to break away so he could make a run for his sword. He couldn't make an opening. The Dark Lord was too formidable. The demon had the mortal on the ropes.</p><p>And then Jackson felt a tug. A mental pull. He didn't know what he felt. He thought it was his imagination. But he didn't fight it. Something told him not to. Marchosias bore down on him, his tail whipping around to strike him again. Jack reached out and took hold of whatever was tugging at him. He called out for help and caught it, swinging it around and slicing through the thick snake tail like it was butter. The limb fell to the ground and Marchosias screamed, lashing out only to be met with a deep cut along the underside of his torso. And then another up his leg and wing. He stumbled to the ground in a heap, howling in pain and agony while black blood poured out of him like a waterfall. A plume of smoke left his throat when he tried to unleash a breath of flames. He was suddenly weak and crippled. Freya's eyes widened as the demon lord fell to the ground. Jackson stood in shock and surprise in front of him, heaving in a slow, calm breath as he turned out of the crouch he fell into.</p><p>In his hands, the scythe glistened with black blood, humming with energy and power that was beyond that of the Dark Lord. Marchosias stared at the weapon in Jack's hands, as astonished as the two younger figures were. "What are you?" he asked the boy.</p><p>Jack looked down at the crippled demon lord, Marcus's scythe held tightly in his grip. He didn't know how, but it had called to him. Or did he call to it? "I'm just the gatekeeper" he replied. The statement felt appropriate.</p><p>Marchosias used the last of his strength to lunge at the mortal, howling angrily opening his jaws. Jack reacted swiftly, swinging the scythe over his head and bringing it down on the demon with a <em>Twack!</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0050"><h2>50. Chapter 50</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>46</p><p>The legions gathered around the gateway, surrounding the remaining spectres guarding the mortal world. The generals took the opportunity to charge forward with their army, overwhelming the wraiths in one final push. Azrael braced against them with all his strength and power, but the onslaught was too intense and his forces were decimated, torn to shreds, dissolving to dust. The Angel of Death was kicked through the portal, the lead general delivering a heavy boot to his chest with a victorious battle cry. He tumbled onto the bloody floor of the university followed by the leading charge of the demon army. They cheered as they crossed the threshold. They cheered to their Dark Lord for bringing them to victory. But when they stepped through, everyone suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. Azrael dragged himself up off the ground, looking up to see the demons staring over him uncertainly. He looked over his shoulder, finding Freya slumped by a wall glancing back at him as he turned his head around, to find the body of Marchosias crippled and slumped on the floor with his tail severed and wings clipped, fur mattered with black blood and his wolf head rolling towards the demon's feet. They all stared at his frozen snarl with bewildered fear.</p><p>Standing over the remains of the demon lord was Jackson White, his hands and clothes speckled with blood both his own and Marchosias'. Marcus's scythe sat comfortably in his hands, the brand glowing around his wrist. Everyone stared at him. The remnant who'd killed one of the most dangerous Dark Lords in Hell. He closed his eyes and drew a slow breath, inhaling quietly feeling a swirl of energy circle around him, sending a chill through everyone's spine. When he exhaled that energy hummed. His skin healed. The scratches on his face faded and the blood evaporated. When he opened his eyes again he looked at the demons invading this dimension. His gaze glowed dark purple.</p><p>The demons froze in fear. They had never seen this mortal before. But they knew who was standing in his place. The general was conflicted. Marchosias promised them that this world was defenceless. It was theirs to claim. He promised them the Reaper was no longer a threat. He promised! Several miles away, the little girl lifted her head, her own eyes glowing as white as her hair. When she spoke, Jack's voice spoke with her as they addressed the army. "Run!"</p><p>The legions felt the tremors through the fabric of reality, obeying the command as they turned and fled back through the portal into Limbo, continuing all the way back to their realms. The generals back pedalled away, leaving their master behind to crumble to dust on the university floor, his body turning to smoke and erasing itself from the mortal plane.</p><p>Jack took a step forward at the same time the little girl rose to her feet, her pale dress falling around her knees staring into space. Jackson's heartbeat grew stronger with each breath. The girl stepped forward, her bare feet moving in time with Jackson's miles away as he approached the portal. In unison, they brought their right hand up, holding it to the gateway as energy spread outwards to surround the tear in reality. "This realm is protected" their voices said together, echoing through the multiverse. Their magic channelled through Jackson's body to light up in a tornado of energy around the gateway, blue and purple and white colours knitting the barrier back together. Azrael and Freya watched the cosmic power repair the damage, staring in awe as Jack channelled so much godly power through his body. He dropped his hand, staring at the gateway, the little girl watching through his eyes smiling. She closed her eyes and dropped her head, Jackson's body mirroring her. When he opened his eyes again they were normal and the little girl had vanished from the hospital.</p><p>Jack blinked, looking around the room, surprised to find Marchosias had dissolved and the breach was sealing itself. He looked down at the scythe in his hand, his gaze narrowed and confused. He had no idea what had just happened. He felt a calm emotion wash over him after he killed the Dark Lord, but everything else felt like it was a dream. Did he dream of himself as a god? He found Freya still slumped by the wall so he ran over to check on her. "Are you okay?"</p><p>She nodded, still staring at him, her expression a mix of awe and wonder. Azrael stood beside them with a similar expression, offering her a hand to lift her to her feet. She winced in pain, her body covered in cuts and bruises. She clung onto Azrael's arm, struggling to stand up, looking up at him whispering "I told you so."</p><p>He didn't say anything, examining the boy carefully. He glanced down to the scythe in his hand before gently pushing Freya off his arm. "I need to go and make sure the demons return to their realms" he grunted, turning to exit the portal. Jack took over supporting his friend, watching him leave. Before he did he paused to say, reluctantly, "Good job kid." They both blinked in surprise as he disappeared through the gateway.</p><p>"Are you sure you're okay?" Jack asked, sounding worried as Freya leaned against him.</p><p>"I'll live" she replied, looking up at him. "Are you okay?"</p><p>He didn't know how to answer that. He stared at the breach and dead bodies around him. "So many people died" he whispered sadly.</p><p>"Kassie?" she asked.</p><p>"No. She's safe. They all are now."</p><p>Freya could hear the pain in his voice. She didn't ask want happened. But she felt proud of him. And proud of herself. Letting him go was the right thing to do. "You saved them. You saved all of us" she told him, pulling them both into a hug. He accepted the gesture, hugging her back, careful not to cause too much discomfort. He'd had to Kill Zachery. He wasn't proud of that act, but he had no choice. Standing with Freya, seeing Kassie, saving his friends, it made him feel better. He didn't feel lost anymore. "We should go" she said, glancing back at the closing portal. "Before it closes. We need to get back to the Well. Marcus will be worried."</p><p>"You okay to walk?" he asked as she carefully pulled herself from his grasp.</p><p>"I'll manage" he smiled, stepping forward slowly. She looked back to find him looking up at the balcony above them. "Are you coming?" she asked quietly.</p><p>He stared longingly at the first floor, knowing the people he cared for were up there waiting for him. He could sense them gathering hesitantly around one another, wondering what was happening, unable to understand all of it. He could go back and explain. He could be with them. He felt an ache in his heart and touched his chest, discovering the wound that had once been there had healed over. As if it never happened. But he couldn't go back, no matter how much he wanted to. "I'm coming" he answered, joining the angel in crossing the barrier, returning to limbo and the Well of Souls.</p><p>As they vanished, two pairs of eyes peered out to witness the portal vanishing. The first came from the small meeting room on the ground floor, where a cautious detective quietly opened the door making sure the coast was clear. The second came from the first floor, where a young woman poked her head from the corridor looking down at the fading shimmer of the portal only to see it fade away into thin air.</p><p>Marcus was sprawled across the floor when they returned through the Soul-Bridge, his wheelchair on its side while he lay on his back staring up at the void. Freya screamed his name when she saw this, sprinting forward nearly tripping over her own feet. Azrael and Jack ran alongside her, dropping to their knees beside him. He opened his eyes to find them fussing over him, groaning as they tried to pull him up. "It's too late" he hissed. Whatever was infecting his wound and killing him had run its course.</p><p>"No! No, not yet. Please" Freya cried, looking frantically to Azrael praying there was something they could do. He remained silent shaking his head. There was nothing they could do. He was dying. It was time.</p><p>"Here" Jack said, kneeling beside Freya placing the scythe in Marcus's hand. "I believe this belongs to you."</p><p>He looked down at the weapon, his fingers wrapped around the familiar grip and weight. He sighed regretfully. "Not anymore" he said, lifting it back to the mortal. He looked uncertainly back at him as he explained "This artefact was created as an extension of the Well's Champion. It's a part of every being who wields their power. It was passed on to me by my mentor, who was given it by his before him. It's time for me to pass it on to you."</p><p>Jack stared at the weapon, shaking his head. "I can't. I'm not the man you think I am."</p><p>"Yes you are" he insisted glancing to Freya. "You were right. I should've listened to you." She sobbed quietly, taking his arm as the old man addressed Jackson more intently. "You were chosen to replace me Jackson White. This weapon has a deep connection to its wielder's, to be called upon when needed. It only answers the call of a Reaper." He held it up to him. "It answered to you."</p><p>Jack didn't want to accept it, but he was right. In the heat of battle, Jack felt something drawing him to the weapon. And the weapon to him. He reached out and it came, landing in his hand, traveling across creation through the realms. In his hands it felt right, like they belonged together. This whole time, since he came to the afterlife, Jack felt like this was where he needed to be. This is where he belonged. He took the scythe from the man's grasp, along with the weight of everything that came with it.</p><p>"I'm sorry it's come to this my boy" he said regretfully, his voice growing more strained with every breath. "I'm sorry I can't be there to show you the ropes. But I know my friends will do everything they can to teach you what they know. Azrael is a wise man, so listen to him carefully. If you can put up with his annoying personality." The group chuckled and nodded. Marcus turned to Freya. "You take care, my girl. You must look after each other. Jack will need you. And you'll need him too. I know it. And don't worry about making mistakes. It's how we learn. I'm proud of you" he whispered.</p><p>"I'll miss you" she whispered back. "You took me in when I was scared and lost. I'll never forget everything you've taught me."</p><p>"You should" he said. "Take the best of my lessons and then make your own rules. I know when I'm wrong. And so do you." He turned back to Jack. "If there's one piece of advice I can give that you must hold onto, it's don't follow in my footsteps. This path is yours to make. Be the reaper this world deserves. But be the champion only you can be. Follow your gut, your head and your heart. Don't be me. Be better."</p><p>He was interrupted by a fit of coughs and stutters, his skin growing paler and more cracked. Freya stifled a cry, clutching his hand while Azrael stood respectfully by his side. Jack put an arm around Freya, comforting her, listening to the old man intently. "Are you sure there isn't anything we can do?" he asked.</p><p>"Don't worry about me. I've been in this game for too long. It's time for me to rest. My only regret is I didn't catch the bastard who killed me. That's your duty now. Something out there that is powerful enough to slay the Grim Reaper… Such power should not be left loose on the realms. You will need to find them. Otherwise, that noose will continue to hang over your own head." Jack nodded in understanding, listening as the old man drew his last breath. "Good luck kid. You'll need it."</p><p>That was the moment Marcus Blake died. He exhaled his last and his body fell still, his eyes frozen, looking up at the endless colourful void of the multiverse. Freya wept as she cradled his head in her arms. Azrael bowed his head, muttering a prayer promising his old friend peace at last. Jackson rose to his feet and gave the two of them space to mourn, looking up at the cosmos from the observation platform. Unseen to everyone but him, the last of Marcus's life and the power he'd been guarding was transferred from his being to Jackson's, like a river flowing down stream. He reluctantly embraced it, taking Marcus's place and his gift. He felt another presence beside him, offering a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Something ethereal and welcoming. It felt warm, filling Jack with confidence.</p><p>Azrael walked up to him, releasing a long sigh crossing his arms behind his back, acknowledging the boy quietly as Jack's eyes shimmered with purple light. "Welcome to the fold kid."</p>
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<a name="section0051"><h2>51. Chapter 51</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Journal of Marcus Travis Blake, 6th June 2019</p><p>Final Entry</p><p>Marcus is gone. He died in peace. Passing on everything he was, everything he stood for, to me.</p><p>Until a few days ago, I didn't even know this kind of world existed. I wouldn't have believed the multiverse really existed. And now I'm the Grim Reaper. The champion of the Well of Souls. The personification of Death itself. I have some big shoes to fill. And a lot of enemies to fight. But if that means the people I care about, the people I love, are safe, then so be it.</p><p>Except I'm not entirely sure if I'm up for the job. There's still a part of me that's not convinced I'm the right choice. They all tell me the Well chose me. I can't help but wonder why. It feels true. Feels like I belong here. But why me? What makes me so special? Because I don't belong anywhere else?</p><p>So I came here. The last tether to my old life. Marcus told me a reaper needs to be deceased. There are no living reapers. But I'm something different. I died, but my body still lives. I'm a remnant trapped outside my own body. So I went back there, waited for the nurses to leave the room after doing their rounds, before stepping out of the shadows. The other patients were asleep, or comatose, leaving me free to walk through the hospital ward and stand before my own bed. It still chills me seeing my own face on a dying man. Except I'm not dying anymore. I have a heartbeat. I'm breathing without the machines. Yet I'm still here on the outside. Story of my life.</p><p>So where do I go from here? To be a reaper, I need to die. It's why I was chosen. So why am I still alive? Does it matter? I don't belong here. Not anymore. So that means there is only one thing left to do. Something I should've done a long time ago.</p><p>"He looks peaceful doesn't he?" a tiny voice interrupted just as I had made up my mind. I spun around to find a small 8 year old girl sitting on a chair by the wall, looking at the hospital bed. The seat was a little too big for her, her bare feet hanging off the edge dangling above the floor. She wore a pain little dress over her small frame, the colour as pale as her skin. Her hair was long, falling behind her shoulders, ghostly white. Her eyes were abnormally large and wide. "Like he's sleeping" she smiled.</p><p>"Where did you come from?" I asked, surprised. I didn't hear her walk in and I'm certain she wasn't sitting there a moment ago. She appeared to be alone as I scanned the room, looking for her parents.</p><p>"Maybe it's time he should wake up" she said looking up at me. "Don't you think?"</p><p>I looked back at myself hesitantly. "Maybe" I whispered. "But why? What is there waiting for him?"</p><p>"His friends? Family? He has a life doesn't he?"</p><p>"Maybe it's better if he doesn't wake up. He has a new job to do. And he can't go back."</p><p>"Why not?" she asked.</p><p>"For what I need to do, he needs to stay dead" I explained.</p><p>"Says who?" the little girl asked, her tone indicating her disapproval.</p><p>I looked back at her, seeing the inquisitive expression on her face. "The man who I took over from" I shrugged.</p><p>"And who told him?"</p><p>The question caught me by surprise. I never considered it. "The man who came before him, I guess" I suggested. But even as I said the words, I could feel the doubt in my voice. I realised we were talking about Chinese whispers. Suddenly I wasn't so sure.</p><p>The girl nodded silently. "Marcus told you what he was told. Maybe they got it wrong?" her eyes looked up at me, her gaze suddenly looking older than she could possibly be.</p><p>"Who are you?" I asked her. It suddenly hit me we've been talking over my duplicate and she hadn't even acknowledged we look exactly alike. Maybe because she already knew we were the same person. Something about her felt familiar. But I don't believe we've ever met.</p><p>She smiled back in a childlike manner. "You know who I am silly" she replied, hopping down to the ground. In her hands she held my hat, the fedora I was wearing the day I was attacked. She walked over and held it out to me, saying "I held onto this for you. I thought you'd want it back."</p><p>I took the hat from her, feeling a small smile tug at my mouth, remembering why I loved this hat so much. I've had it for years. Kept it all this time. From the moment I brought it from the market, it felt like me I thought it was the coolest thing I could wear. A few said otherwise, but I didn't care. It was my identity.</p><p>"You shouldn't give up on what makes you special" the little girl said, looking up at me with a warm smile. Something in her eyes gave me hope. That maybe I'm not as worthless as I think I am. She looked back at the body in the hospital bed and told me "sometimes you just need a second chance to find out how important you are." She turned and walked away, leaving me by the bed staring down at myself. The last thing she said was the last thing I heard before she vanished into thin air.</p><p>"Good luck Jackson White. I know you'll make me proud."</p><p>After that, I had to think about what to do next. The truth was there was only one place I wanted to go. I just wasn't sure what to do when I got there. I waited outside for nearly two hours, sitting on the wall, using the time to gather my thoughts. I knew what I needed to do. I just wasn't sure if I wanted to.</p><p>She came home just before 7pm. I sensed her approach before she came into view, turning the corner to find me sitting by her front door. Her grey eyes went wide as she dropped the set of keys she was sorting through. I tried to say hi, but a lump formed in my throat. She looked so beautiful, as she always did. "Jack?" Kassie gasped. She looked like she was staring at a ghost. I supposed she was. "How are you here? I just came from the hospital. I saw you! They said you were there and you hadn't woken up. But I thought you were… How is this possible?"</p><p>There was so much I wanted to tell her. But how do I begin? How can I possibly explain? "I just came to make sure you were alright" I told her. I saw her take an uneasy step back. She was afraid, maybe confused. She didn't know if this was real. Maybe it's not. Maybe I imagined all of this. Maybe I'm still dying in an alley in the middle of Derby. So much I wanted to tell her. So much I needed her to know. But now isn't the right time. "Kassie… It's hard to explain right now. There's so much I want to tell you. But for now, I need to sort out some things. I don't know how long it'll take. You might see or hear things that won't make any sense. But I need to know you're going to be okay. I need to know that you are safe. One day, I will explain everything to you. But until then, I need you to trust me. Can you do that for me? Please?"</p><p>She looked me straight in the eye as I took her shoulders. Her expression was difficult to read. Did she believe me? "What's going on?" she asked cautiously. I wasn't making any sense. Understandable. I couldn't make much sense of it either.</p><p>"Things are going to change" I tried to explain. "For me. For us. For everyone. It's better if you don't know just yet. But I can't do it unless I know you're safe. One day, I'll tell you. I promise. But for now, you have to trust me."</p><p>It was asking a lot of her. But she nodded. I hope one day she'll understand. But I had to do this alone. I picked up her keys and put them in her hand, wishing her goodnight as I stepped aside. I wish I had kissed her that night. It might have been my last chance to. But every day ends the same. Me and her parting ways, leaving an empty void in my heart. But this time, when she looked back, I was already gone. Vanished into thin air. Leaving her alone in the vacant street.</p><p>Marcus's death sent a shiver across creation. Something out there was powerful enough to kill death himself. Entities from across the planes have already made use of the reaper's absence. And many more will make their move. The fact that killing an immortal is now possible will shake loose some new threats. So much is changing. I'm stepping into this role with so many questions. I couldn't pretend to understand how I came to be a remnant, though I feel in my gut the one responsible is the same force that chose me to take Marcus's place. And this brand on my hand, the scar in my palm coursing with powerful magic, how dangerous is this? Where did it come from? And who was responsible for killing Marcus? And How? I'm taking this position with a noose hanging around my neck, waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under me. No training and now idea what to do.</p><p><em>Don't be me. Be better</em>, Marcus said.</p><p>The more Freya and Azrael teach me about how Marcus operated, the more I'm convinced. I need to do this my way. The day Death died was the day the game changed. Now I need to switch up the rules. Maybe that's why I was chosen. Maybe that's why my body is lying in a hospital bed waiting for me to return to it. Maybe the Grim Reaper doesn't need to be dead. How else can I understand the value of life? So after I finish this entry, that's the first thing I need to do. Reclaim my life and go from there.</p><p>My name is Jackson White.</p><p>I am the Phasewalker now.</p><p>This is where my story begins.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>https://www.patreon.com/PWPresents</p></blockquote></div></div>
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